Meta Faces Backlash After Authors Find Their Pirated Books Used to Train AI Models

The article reports on the widespread outrage among authors, particularly in Australia, after discovering that Meta used pirated copies of their books, sourced from Library Genesis (LibGen), to train its Llama 3 generative AI model. Authors and industry groups express anger that their works were used without permission or payment, drawing parallels to historic land grabs and systemic theft. Meta’s internal documents show the company deliberately avoided licensing agreements, citing speed and cost concerns. The company is now facing multiple copyright lawsuits in the US, defending its practice as fair use. Authors and legal experts contest the fairness of this approach and call for stronger regulation and retrospective compensation. The case is drawing attention to the urgent need for updates to copyright law in the AI era and may set significant precedents for the future use of creative content in AI training.

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