An AI watchdog accused OpenAI of using copyrighted books without permission

An artificial intelligence watchdog is accusing OpenAI of training its default ChatGPT model on copyrighted book content without permission.

In a new paper published this week, the AI Disclosures Project alleges that OpenAI likely trained its GPT-4o model using nonpublic material from O’Reilly Media. The researchers used a legally obtained dataset of 34 copyrighted O’Reilly books and found that GPT-4o showed “strong recognition” of the company’s paywalled content. By contrast, GPT-3.5 Turbo appeared more familiar with publicly accessible O’Reilly book samples.

“These results highlight the urgent need for increased corporate transparency regarding pre-training data sources as a means to develop formal licensing frameworks for AI content training,” the authors wrote in the paper. Tim O’Reilly, one of the paper’s authors, is a cofounder and CEO of O’Reilly Media.

An OpenAI spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to Fast Company‘s request for comment.

Training data lies at the heart of all artificial intelligence models. Large language models (LLMs) require an incredible amount of information that it uses to guide back on when it churns out text or images for users.

OpenAI has struck up some licensing deals to be able to train their models on certain content. But the company, which recently fundraised and is worth $300 billion, has also come under fire for sourcing certain content. The New York Times, for example, is leading a charge against OpenAI and minority owner Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement.

The researchers acknowledged limitations in their study but argued that the issue is likely part of a broader systemic problem in how large language models are developed.

“Sustainable ecosystems need to be designed so that both creators and developers can benefit from generative AI,” the authors wrote. “Otherwise, model developers are likely to rapidly plateau in their progress, especially as newer content becomes produced less and less by humans.”


https://www.fastcompany.com/91310223/an-ai-watchdog-accused-openai-of-using-copyrighted-books-without-permission?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Vytvorené 3mo | 2. 4. 2025, 20:30:07


Ak chcete pridať komentár, prihláste sa

Ostatné príspevky v tejto skupine

How AI is transforming corporate finance

The role of the CFO is evolving—and fast. In today’s volatile business environment, finance leaders are navigating everything from unpredictable tariffs to tightening regulations and rising geopol

5. 7. 2025, 13:10:03 | Fast company - tech
Want to move data between Apple and Google Maps? Try this  workaround

In June, Google released its newest smartphone operating system, Android 16. The same month, Apple previewed its next smartphone oper

5. 7. 2025, 10:40:07 | Fast company - tech
Tally lets you design great free surveys in 60 seconds

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. 

4. 7. 2025, 13:50:03 | Fast company - tech
How China is leading the humanoid robots race

I’ve worked at the bleeding edge of robotics innovation in the United States for almost my entire professional life. Never before have I seen another country advance so quickly.

In

4. 7. 2025, 9:20:03 | Fast company - tech
‘There is nothing that Aquaphor will not fix’: The internet is in love with this no-frills skin ointment

Aquaphor has become this summer’s hottest accessory.

The no-frills beauty staple—once relegated to the bottom of your bag, the glove box, or a bedside drawer—is now dangling from

3. 7. 2025, 23:50:07 | Fast company - tech
Is Tesla screwed?

Elon Musk’s anger over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was evident this week a

3. 7. 2025, 17:10:05 | Fast company - tech