French publishers and authors sue Meta over copyright works used in AI training

French publishers and authors have stated that they're taking Meta to court, accusing the social media company of using their works without permission to train its artificial intelligence model.

Three trade groups said on Wednesday they were launching legal action against Meta in a Paris court over what they said was the company's “massive use of copyrighted works without authorization” to train its generative AI model.

Meta has rolled out generative-AI powered chatbot assistants to users of its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, and the National Publishing Union, which represents book publishers, has noted that "numerous works" from its members are turning up in Meta's data pool.

Vincent Montagne, the president of the National Publishing Union, accused Meta of “noncompliance with copyright and parasitism.”

Another group, the National Union of Authors and Composers, which represents 700 writers, playwrights and composers, said the lawsuit was necessary to protect members from “AI which plunders their works and cultural heritage to train itself."

The union is also worried about AI that “produces 'fake books' which compete with real books,” said Francois Peyrony, the union's president.

The third group involved in the lawsuit, the Société des Gens de Lettres, represents authors. They all demand the “complete removal” of data directories Meta created without authorization to to train its AI model.

Under the European Union's sweeping Artificial Intelligence Act, generative AI systems must comply with the 27-nation bloc's copyright law and be transparent about the material they used for training.

This is the latest example of the clash between the creative and publishing industries and tech companies over data and copyright.

Last month, more than 1,000 British musicians - including Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Damon Albarn - released a silent album to protest the UK government's proposed changes to artificial intelligence laws that artists fear will threaten their creative control.

The silent album, titled ‘Is This What We Want?’ and featuring the sounds of empty studios and performance spaces, is designed to be a symbol of the impact these changes could have on musicians' livelihoods. 

The tracklist boldly spells out: "The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies."