A big legal fight is starting in the world of artificial intelligence. This fight is not about new apps or smart tools. It is about books, writers, and money. At the centre of this case is John Carreyrou, a famous journalist and author. He is best known for writing the book Bad Blood, which exposed the Theranos scandal.

Now, John Carreyrou and other authors are taking on six of the biggest AI companies in the world. These companies are Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and Perplexity. The authors say these companies used pirated copies of their books to train AI systems, without asking and without paying.

This lawsuit could change how AI is built in the future. It could also change how writers and creators are treated in the AI age.

What the lawsuit is about

The authors say the AI companies trained their models using illegal copies of books. These copies were taken from pirate sites like LibGen and Z Library. According to the lawsuit, the companies did not buy the books, did not license them, and did not ask for permission.

The authors believe this is copyright theft. They say their hard work was used to build AI tools that are now worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The companies being sued make AI systems that can write text, answer questions, and help businesses make money. The authors say these systems learned by reading their stolen books.

Who is involved in the lawsuit

John Carreyrou is leading the case, but he is not alone. Other writers in the lawsuit include journalists, teachers, and nonfiction authors. Some of them have written many books over their careers.

These authors are not filing a class action lawsuit. This is important. Instead of one big group case, each author is suing on their own. They believe this gives them a better chance to get fair payment.

The lawsuit was filed in California, where many tech companies are based.

Why this lawsuit is different

This is not the first time authors have sued AI companies. Earlier, a large group of writers sued Anthropic. That case ended with a proposed settlement of $1.5 billion. Under that deal, many writers would receive about $3,000 each.

Some authors accepted that deal. But others were not happy.

John Carreyrou and the other writers felt the payment was too small. They believe $3,000 does not match the value of their work. They also believe the settlement lets AI companies avoid real responsibility.

So they opted out of the settlement and filed new lawsuits.

The legal problem at the centre

A key issue in this case is a past court ruling. In the earlier Anthropic case, a judge said something very important.

The judge ruled that pirating books is illegal. But he also said that training AI models on pirated books could count as fair use. This shocked many writers.

The authors in the new lawsuit strongly disagree with this idea. They say companies should not be allowed to profit from stolen work, even if the AI training itself is labelled fair use.

They argue that using pirated books to build products worth billions is wrong.

How much money the authors want

Under US copyright law, authors can ask for up to $150,000 per work if the infringement was wilful. The authors in this case say the companies knew what they were doing.

Each author is asking for damages for each book used, against each company. This means the total claims could reach very large numbers.

The authors say they are not greedy. They say they just want fair treatment and respect for creative work.

Why AI companies use books

Books are very valuable for training AI. They are well written, detailed, and edited. Authors say books are the gold standard of training data.

Because of this, writers believe their work played a big role in making AI systems smarter. Without books, many AI models would not work as well.

This is why the authors feel strongly that they deserve payment.

What the companies are saying

Some companies deny the claims. For example, Perplexity has said it does not index books. Other companies have not said much yet.

In some cases, companies argue that AI training is fair use. They say the AI does not copy books word for word. Instead, it learns patterns.

This debate is far from settled.

Why this case matters to everyone

This lawsuit is not just about writers. It affects the future of AI.

If the authors win, AI companies may need to license books and pay creators. This could slow down AI development or make it more expensive.

If the companies win, writers may have fewer rights over how their work is used.

The case could also affect artists, musicians, and journalists. Many creative people are asking the same question, who gets paid when AI learns from human work.

The Bottom Line

This case comes at a time when AI is growing fast. AI tools are everywhere, in phones, offices, and homes. But the rules around AI are still unclear.

John Carreyrou and the other authors believe this lawsuit is a turning point. They want courts to clearly say that stolen work cannot be used to build profitable systems.

No matter the outcome, this case will shape how AI and copyright work together in the future.

For now, the battle has just begun. The world is watching to see whether writers or tech giants will win this explosive AI lawsuit.

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