Authors to Protest in London against AI Theft of Books by Meta
Today, authors and publishing industry professionals are set to gather outside Meta's London office in protest against the organization's use of copyrighted books to train artificial intelligence. The demonstration will take place at the Facebook owner’s King’s Cross office.
Concerns Over AI Training Methods
In a recent development, a US court filing alleged that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved the use of the "shadow library" known as LibGen, comprising over 7.5 million books, to train AI models. Many authors were taken aback when a searchable database of titles from LibGen revealed that their works might have been utilized by Meta without authorization.
Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, Chair of the Society of Authors (SoA), condemned Meta's actions as "illegal, shocking, and utterly devastating for writers." She criticized Meta for essentially stealing books to feed their AI algorithms, potentially jeopardizing the livelihoods of authors.
Author Outcry and Legal Action
Authors, including Kate Mosse, Kate Mosse, Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Val McDermid, have signed an SoA letter urging Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to summon Meta executives to parliament. AJ West, a novelist leading the protest, expressed dismay at finding their novels in the LibGen database without consent.
Call to Action
SoA Chief Executive Anna Ganley emphasized the significance of authors standing up against the unauthorized use of their work, particularly when facilitated by global corporations. Demonstrators are encouraged to create placards with protest hashtags such as #MetaBookThieves, #DoTheWriteThing, and #MakeItFair.
As the protest unfolds in London, authors are united in their mission to protect their intellectual property rights and demand fair treatment in the digital age.
