Google Sued by Publishers for Using Copyrighted Works to Train Gemini AI

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Major publishers and author Scott Turow have filed a lawsuit in New York against Google, alleging it used millions of copyrighted books and articles without permission to train its Gemini AI model. The plaintiffs claim this unauthorized use constitutes copyright infringement and that Gemini-generated content competes with original authors.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

The event involves an AI system (Google's Gemini) whose development involved using copyrighted materials without permission, leading to alleged violations of intellectual property rights. This is a direct harm caused by the AI system's development and use, fitting the definition of an AI Incident under category (c) violations of intellectual property rights. The legal action confirms that harm is recognized and materialized, not merely potential. Hence, the classification as AI Incident is appropriate.[AI generated]
AI principles
AccountabilityTransparency & explainability

Industries
Media, social platforms, and marketing

Affected stakeholders
BusinessOther

Harm types
Economic/Property

Severity
AI incident

AI system task:
Content generation


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