5 d. ago Gerry Adams considers suing Meta over alleged use of his books to train AI

Former Sinn Féin president says Facebook owner included at least seven of his books in trawl of copyright materialThe former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is considering legal action against Meta because it may have used his books to train artificial intelligence.Adams said the tech company included at least seven of his books in a vast trawl of copyright material to develop its AI systems. “Meta has used many of my books without my permission. I have placed the issue in the hands of my solicitor,” he said. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Society of Authors to hold protest at Meta's London HQ after 'pirated books used to train AI'

Society of Authors to hold protest at Meta's London HQ after 'pirated books used to train AI'  The Bookseller

Culture

1 week ago ‘Meta has stolen books’: authors to protest in London against AI trained using ‘shadow library’

Writers will gather at the Facebook owner’s King’s Cross office in opposition to its use of the LibGen database to train its AI modelsAuthors and other publishing industry professionals will stage a demonstration outside Meta’s London office today in protest of the organisation’s use of copyrighted books to train artificial intelligence.Novelists Kate Mosse and Tracy Chevalier as well as poet and former Royal Society of Literature chair Daljit Nagra will be among those in attendance outside the company’s King’s Cross office. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Authors call for UK government to hold Meta accountable for copyright infringement

‘I am a crime writer, I understand theft,’ said Val McDermid – joining Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro and Kate Mosse in their appeal to Lisa Nandy to act on their behalfA group of prominent authors including Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kate Mosse and Val McDermid have signed an open letter calling on the UK government to hold Meta accountable over its use of copyrighted books to train artificial intelligence.The letter asked Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, to summon Meta senior executives to parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago British authors respond to ‘infuriating’ allegations Meta used books to train AI models

British authors have responded to "upsetting" allegations that tech giant Meta used their books and others to train its AI models.

Culture

2 w. ago Here is the exact day and time to book your train for the cheapest tickets

There are always people suggesting ways I could save cash on my train travel. Some say book months in advance, others say leave it until the last minute to grab a cheap deal.

Politics

3 w. ago Richard Osman urges writers to ‘have a good go’ at Meta over breaches of copyright

The author was responding to news that the company used a notorious publicly available database of more than 7.5m books to train artificial intelligenceRichard Osman has said that writers will “have a good go” at taking on Meta after it emerged that the company used a notorious database believed to contain pirated books to train artificial intelligence.“Copyright law is not complicated at all,” the author of The Thursday Murder Club series wrote in a statement on X on Sunday evening. “If you want to use an author’s work you need to ask for permission. If you use it without permission you’re breaking the law. It’s so simple.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘No consent’: Australian authors ‘livid’ that Meta may have used their books to train AI

A searchable database showed titles from former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and John Howard, as well as journalist Tracey SpicerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian authors say they are “livid” and feel violated that their work was included in an allegedly pirated dataset of books Meta used to train its AI.The parent company of Facebook and Instagram is being sued by authors in the United States, including Ta-Nehisi Coates and the comedian Sarah Silverman, for copyright infringement.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago Man claims he rode for free on UK trains for a year using unusual method

Ed Wise, 29, predicted train delays on Avanti West Coast meaning that every ticket he booked in 2023 was refunded - and he claims to have saved at least £1,000 in less than three years

Politics