Are Pirated Books Powering AI?
Meta faces claims over pirated books in AI training, the Turkish media is under pressure after protests and the Signal app used in sensitive US security chat sparks scrutiny.
A new lawsuit has intensified scrutiny over whether artificial intelligence models are being trained using pirated books. Authors and publishers are reacting to claims that Meta used books from Library Genesis, a well-known piracy site, without permission. Alex Reisner, data journalist at The Atlantic, built a tool enabling authors to check if their books were included in the dataset. Rosie Wilby, comedian and author, found her work listed and raised concerns over consent and fair compensation. Catriona MacLeod Stevenson, general counsel and deputy CEO at the Publishers Association, outlines the legal response and calls for greater transparency in AI training practices.
Journalists in Turkey have been detained following widespread protests triggered by the arrest of a political opponent of President Erdo臒an. Selin Girit, correspondent at the 91热爆 World Service, explains the environment facing journalists, including government control of around 90% of the media and previous intimidation of foreign reporters.
Attention has turned to the use of encrypted messaging app Signal after a surprising error saw The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg added to a White House group chat about planned US strikes in Yemen. James Ball, political editor of The New European, explains the implications of the leak, the rise of Signal among journalists and the motivations of its founder Moxie Marlinspike.