Chicken Soup for the Soul, the company that publishes the eponymous inspirational anthologies, is the latest to sue tech companies over using their books to train LLMs. The company filed suit in the Northern District of California against Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta, Apple, Perplexity, Nividia, and xAI, claiming that the tech companies pirated books from The Pile, LibGen, Z-Library, and Anna’s Archive when developing their AI models. Companies have previously stated that books are the best training material for LLMs. “The Chicken Soup for the Soul series is particularly valuable in this regard,” the complaint states. “Each volume contains dozens […]
AI
UK Is Listening, Learning Over AI Position; Drops Preference for Letting AI Companies Train Broadly
The UK has reversed course on their AI position in a new governmental report. Originally, the country favored allowing tech companies to use copyrighted work to train AI, with an option for artists to opt out. Now, the UK is less committed to that approach, but “no longer has a preferred option” for what the country should do. “We must take the time needed to get this right,” the report states. “We will not introduce reforms to copyright law until we are confident that they will meet our objectives for the economy and UK citizens. This means protecting the UK’s position […]
Grammarly Sued Over AI Feature That Impersonated Authors and Journalists
Author and New York Times contributing Opinion editor Julia Angwin has filed a class action lawsuit against Superhuman, the parent company of Grammarly, which in August released an AI feature that edited users’ work in the style of notable writers and editors. “Expert Review” name-checked writers including Stephen King, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Kara Swisher, and was developed without the creators’ knowledge or consent. (To add insult to injury, Angwin told Wired that the editing suggestions weren’t even good. “I was surprised at how bad it was,” she said.) “Contrary to the apparent belief of some tech companies, it is unlawful […]
Eleven Labs to Produce AI-Narrated Audiobooks from Bookwire
Ebook distributor Bookwire and AI voice company Eleven Labs have partnered to create AI-narrated audiobooks for Bookwire’s publishing clients. The books will be available in the Eleven Reader app in more than a dozen languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Polish, French, and German. “At Bookwire, we are driven by one clear goal: to help publishers achieve maximum reach and success for their titles worldwide,” Bookwire co-founder and co-ceo John Ruhrmann said in a release. “Innovation and the intelligent use of new technologies are essential to that commitment. Through our partnership with ElevenLabs, publishers who choose this model can […]
SCOTUS Refuses Challenge to Human Authored Copyright Rule
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case that challenged whether AI-created art could be copyrighted. Computer scientist Stephen Thaler sought to copyright a piece of art he created in 2018 with an AI program that he built. The Copyright Office declined his request for copyright in 2022, noting that AI-created work is not protected. Thaler brought the case to court. Now, the lower court’s decision stands, holding that copyright only applies to human-created art.
Authors Guild Officially Launches Human Authored Certification Program
The Authors Guild has officially launched its Human Authored certification program. The program, which was launched in beta for members in 2025, is now open to the public. Authors can register to use the Human Authored certification mark to distinguish their human-written books from AI-generated books. Certification costs $10 per book for non-Guild members and is free to members. Next week, the Guild will open the program up to U.S. publishers to purchase certifications in bulk. “The overwhelming response from authors has validated our belief that transparency in authorship is not just desired—it’s essential,” said Rasenberger. “By opening this program to all authors nationwide, we’re empowering […]