SAN FRANCISCO – In what can only be described as a David versus Goliath battle, a group of anonymous individuals has filed a colossal lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of the popular chatbot program ChatGPT, alleging the company has siphoned “vast amounts” of personal information from the internet, a move they say is tantamount to theft and risks “civilizational collapse.”
OpenAI is accused of willfully violating privacy laws by clandestinely scraping over 300 billion words from “books, articles, websites, and posts,” as stated in the 157-page lawsuit filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco.
The lawsuit alleges that this treasure trove includes personal information that was obtained without the consent of users.
“A Different Approach: Theft,” reads a prominent header within the lawsuit. The plaintiffs do not mince words, alleging, “Despite established protocols for the purchase and use of personal information, Defendants took a different approach: theft.”
They further claim that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other products have been trained on private data harvested from millions of unsuspecting internet users, including children, and that this is done without permission.
The lawsuit goes so far as to implicate Microsoft Corp., which is reportedly planning to invest a whopping $13 billion in OpenAI, naming them as a defendant as well.
The plaintiffs, represented by Clarkson Law Firm, are only identified by initials and occupations, with a stated fear of backlash.
They are seeking class-action status and have cited $3 billion in potential damages, stating that the category of harmed individuals could be in the millions.
OpenAI, a frontrunner in the AI industry, is accused of running a massive covert web-scraping operation, which allegedly violates terms of service agreements, as well as state and federal privacy and property laws, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Other claims listed in the lawsuit include invasion of privacy, larceny, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that OpenAI misappropriated personal data to win an “AI arms race.”
The plaintiffs claim that OpenAI illegally accessed private information from individuals’ interactions with its products and other applications that integrated ChatGPT, allowing OpenAI to collect data such as images, locations from Snapchat, music preferences on Spotify, financial information from Stripe, and private conversations on Slack and Microsoft Teams.
The suit claims that OpenAI, in pursuit of profits, has strayed from its founding principle of advancing AI “in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole,” and the suit alleges ChatGPT’s expected revenue for 2023 is projected to be $200 million.
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond.
Similarly, Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This lawsuit has surfaced at a time when generative AI applications like ChatGPT have been under scrutiny over privacy and misinformation.
Congress is currently deliberating the potential advantages and dangers of AI, as these technologies raise questions about the future of creative industries and discerning fact from fiction.
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, even called for AI regulation in testimony on Capitol Hill last month.
In addition to requesting monetary damages, the plaintiffs are asking the court to place a temporary hold on commercial access to and further development of OpenAI’s products.
As the legal drama unfolds, all eyes will be on the court’s decision, which could have far-reaching implications for the AI industry.
