Sarah Silverman sues OpenAI and Meta over copied memoir "The Bedwetter"

Comedian and actor Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI and Meta, alleging that the technology companies developed artificial intelligence tools that freely copied her memoir, "The Bedwetter," without permission. 

Silverman, an Emmy-winning performer and former cast member on "Saturday Night Live," is the latest content creator to file a lawsuit over so-called large language models (LLM), which underpin burgeoning "generative" AI apps such as ChatGPT. LLMs develop their functionality by "training" on vast amounts of written and other content, including material created by professional and amateur writers.

Silverman's lawyers say training AI by having it process others' intellectual property, including copyrighted material like books, amounts to "grift." In parallel complaints filed July 7 along with two other authors, Chris Golden and Richard Kadrey, Silverman accused OpenAI — which created ChatGPT — and Facebook owner Meta of copying her work "without consent, without credit and without compensation." The plaintiffs are seeking injunctions to stop OpenAI and Meta from using the authors' works, as well as monetary damages.