• Nvidia faces a copyright infringement lawsuit by authors alleging unauthorized use of their books to train the NeMo AI platform.
  • The authors are trying to figure out the unspecified damages and clarify the evidence of NVIDIA’s infringement.
  • The case highlights the growing legal challenges surrounding generative AI and the importance of respecting intellectual property rights while advancing AI technology.

OUR TAKE：
This can be recognized as a typical case of copyright infringement in AI training. The abstract detailed performances like language models are very difficult to identify as borrowed or plagiarised. Since generative AI has just emerged in recent years, the related copyright laws regulations, and judgment criteria are not mature enough.
–Iris Deng, BTW reporter

Nvidia has been sued by three authors, alleging it used their copyrighted books without permission to train its NeMo AI platform.

Nvidia has been charged with allegedly using other people’s writings to train AI without permission

Nvidia, the famous chipmaker known for its powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, has caught up in a copyright infringement lawsuit. Three authors, Brian Keene, Abdi Nazemian, and Stewart O’Nan, alleged that Nvidia utilized their copyrighted books without permission to train its NeMo AI platform, proposing in San Francisco federal court.

The authors claim that their works, approximately 196,640 books were employed to train NeMo in simulating language models.

The authors are seeking damages on behalf of individuals in the US whose copyrights are unconsciously invaded. It is said that these books contributed to the AI training over the past three years. Keene’s novel “Ghost Walk” from 2008, Nazemian’s novel “Like a Love Story” from 2019, and O’Nan’s novella “Last Night at the Lobster” from 2007 are mentioned in the case.

Also read: Chipmaker Groq and a former AMP VP accuse Nvidia of unfair practises

Nvidia denied and other tech companies have encountered similar cases

However, Nvidia denied the allegations from the authors.

The company remained silent on this case in detail. Generative AI has emerged in recent years as a promising technology. It generates new content based on various inputs such as text, images, and sounds, as the alleged platform NeMo. The laws and rules protecting the copyrights of the source text used in training haven’t been built, so it’s hard to judge. Other companies previously sued for similar reasons include OpenAI, the creator of the AI platform ChatGPT, and its partner Microsoft.

The outcome of this case could have implications for the entire AI industry. It emphasises the need for clear guidelines and regulations on the use of copyrighted material when training AI models. As the field of AI continues to evolve, striking a balance between technological innovation and the protection of intellectual property will be key.