Summary
A federal judge ruled that the AI company Anthropic can legally use copyrighted books to train its AI models, as long as the books are obtained legally. The judge, however, will let a trial proceed regarding books Anthropic downloaded for free, as these may not be considered fair use.
Key Facts
- A judge in San Francisco ruled in favor of AI company Anthropic in a copyright case involving authors.
- The ruling allows AI companies to use legally obtained copyrighted works for training purposes.
- The case marks the first major decision on fair use laws applied to AI systems.
- Fair use lets copyrighted works be used without permission in certain situations, like teaching or news reporting.
- Authors claimed Anthropic used millions of copyright-protected digital books without permission.
- Judge Alsup concluded that the use of purchased books was a "fair use" and transformative.
- Anthropic allegedly also obtained books from pirate sites, which will be addressed in a trial.
- The outcome highlights differing views on the scope of fair use within AI training.
