Apple is facing a new proposed class-action lawsuit filed by two neuroscientists who allege the company used thousands of pirated books to train its Apple Intelligence AI model. The complaint, lodged in a California federal court, claims the tech giant utilized copyrighted materials without permission, adding to a growing number of legal challenges against major technology firms over their AI development practices.
Key Takeaways
- Two neuroscientists have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple in California.
- The lawsuit alleges Apple used thousands of copyrighted books from illegal sources to train its Apple Intelligence AI system.
- This legal action is part of a wider trend of copyright holders suing tech companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta over AI training data.
- The plaintiffs are seeking financial damages and a court order to prevent Apple from continuing to use their work.
Details of the Copyright Infringement Allegations
The lawsuit was brought forward by Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, both professors at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York. They claim that Apple sourced vast amounts of data from illegal "shadow libraries" to build the capabilities of its new AI platform, Apple Intelligence.
According to the court filing, these datasets included illegally copied books and other materials scraped from the internet. The plaintiffs identified their own works as being part of the training data used by Apple. The specific books mentioned in the complaint are "Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles" and "Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions."
The core of the argument is that Apple knowingly benefited from copyright infringement on a massive scale to develop a commercially valuable product. The lawsuit seeks to represent a larger class of authors whose works were allegedly used without consent or compensation.
What Are Shadow Libraries?
"Shadow libraries" are online databases that provide unauthorized access to vast collections of copyrighted materials, such as academic journals, articles, and books. These platforms operate outside of legal frameworks, and their content is often used without the permission of the copyright holders. Their use for training commercial AI models has become a central issue in intellectual property law.
A Growing Trend of Lawsuits Against Tech Giants
Apple is not the only technology company facing legal scrutiny over its AI training methods. This lawsuit is one of many similar cases filed against industry leaders who are racing to develop and deploy advanced artificial intelligence models. Major companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms have all been named in lawsuits brought by authors, news organizations, and other creators.
These cases collectively challenge the foundational practice of using large volumes of internet-scraped data to train AI. Copyright holders argue that this practice constitutes theft of their intellectual property, while tech companies often suggest it falls under fair use. The outcomes of these legal battles could set critical precedents for the future of AI development.
High-Stakes Legal Precedents
The legal landscape is already shifting. In August, AI company Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement with a group of authors over claims that its chatbot, Claude, was trained on their copyrighted material. This settlement highlights the significant financial risks involved for companies accused of copyright infringement.
This is also the second recent lawsuit of this nature against Apple. Just last month, a different group of authors filed a separate complaint with similar allegations concerning the training of Apple Intelligence.
The Financial Impact of Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is a suite of new AI features designed to be integrated across Apple's operating systems, including iOS for the iPhone and iPad. The features aim to provide users with enhanced capabilities for writing, organization, and image creation.
The launch of these features had a significant and immediate impact on Apple's financial standing. The lawsuit filed by Martinez-Conde and Macknik highlights this by pointing to the company's market performance after the announcement.
"The day after Apple officially introduced Apple Intelligence, the company gained more than $200 billion in value: 'the single most lucrative day in the history of the company,'" the lawsuit states.
This statement is used to underscore the immense commercial value generated from the AI model, which the plaintiffs allege was built using their stolen intellectual property.
Demands and Potential Consequences for the AI Industry
The neuroscientists are requesting unspecified monetary damages for the alleged infringement of their copyrighted works. More significantly, they are also asking the court for an order that would require Apple to stop misusing their materials. An injunction of this nature could force Apple to retrain its models without the disputed data, a potentially costly and complex process.
If the lawsuit is successful, it could have far-reaching implications. A ruling against Apple would reinforce the position that using copyrighted material for AI training without a license is illegal. This could force the entire AI industry to re-evaluate its data sourcing practices, potentially leading to increased licensing costs and a more fragmented data landscape for model development.
As of Friday, spokespeople for Apple, as well as the plaintiffs and their legal representatives, had not provided an immediate response to requests for comment on the new complaint.