Google is facing a proposed class action lawsuit in San Francisco, with eight individuals accusing the company of illegally using copyrighted content and stealing personal information to train its AI products. If found guilty, Google could face damages of at least $5 billion for violating federal privacy and consumer protection laws.
As marketers are encouraged to embrace AI and incorporate technologies like ChatGPT and Bard into their strategies, the allegations against Google raise concerns about the use of illegally obtained content and data for AI development. This poses a risk of potential copyright issues.
The claimants in the lawsuit allege that Google has been illegally taking digital content created and shared by millions of Americans and using it to train its AI technology, including its chatbot, Bard. They claim that Google has essentially taken their entire digital footprint, including creative and copyrighted works, to build its catalog of AI products.
Examples of content allegedly taken by Google without permission include photos from dating websites, playlists from Spotify, and videos uploaded onto TikTok. One of the claimants, described as a best-selling author from Texas, specifically accuses Google of copying their entire book to train Bard.
The lawsuit was filed by the Clarkson Law Firm against Google, its parent company Alphabet, and Google’s AI subsidiary DeepMind. The plaintiffs are seeking options for users to opt out of Google’s illicit data collection and are requesting the deletion of Google’s existing data catalog. If the data is not deleted, they demand fair compensation for the owners of the content.
Google has denied the claims and referred to the lawsuit as “baseless.” The company asserts that it responsibly uses data from public sources to train AI models, in line with its AI Principles.
This lawsuit highlights the importance of ethical AI development and the potential consequences of using illegally obtained content for training AI products. As a result, businesses and marketers should be cautious when implementing AI technologies and ensure they are using data that is obtained legally and with proper consent.
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The Clarkson Law Firm is experienced in handling lawsuits related to AI and data usage. If you need assistance with legal matters regarding AI and data privacy, contact Bridgewell Marketing’s SEO services for expert advice and guidance.
