Meta's AI Controversy Unveiled: How Writers' Books Are Exploited

Are your books being used to train AI models? Let's dive in.

Photo by Andrea De Santis on Unsplash

Have you heard? There's been quite a stir recently involving Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and its use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly concerning writers and their intellectual property.

Full transparency: I’m not an AI expert, nor do I claim to be. I have been researching its use and watching everything unfold, like many of you. I don’t have answers, but I’d like to have the discussion of the pros and cons from an author marketing perspective.

Are your books in there? Mine are.

Check now:

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train. The collection's current iteration captures millions of books and scientific papers https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/search-libgen-data-set/682094/ (free article on The Atlantic).

The controversy centers on Meta's use of a vast database of pirated books, Library Genesis (LibGen), to train its AI models without author permission.

LibGen is an online repository that offers free access to millions of books and academic papers, many copyrighted.

This means that Meta's AI systems have been learning from and potentially replicating content created by writers without our consent or compensation.

Do you have to be on Meta to have your books used? No. This is a database of published works. Doesn’t matter whether you use Meta products or not.

How are writers and publishers responding? This situation has led to significant backlash from the writing community worldwide. For instance, Richard Osman, author of The Thursday Murder Club series, has called on writers to challenge Meta over these copyright breaches.

Similarly, Australian authors have expressed outrage upon discovering their works may have been used without consent to train Meta's AI. Legal actions are underway, with lawsuits filed against Meta for copyright infringement, as authors demand enforcement of copyright laws and fair compensation.

This controversy could impact us in several ways:

1. Intellectual Property Concerns: The unauthorized use of writers' works to train AI models raises significant intellectual property issues. If AI-generated content begins to mimic the style or substance of existing authors, it could dilute the originality and value of their work.
   
   More here about France’s reaction.

2. Market Saturation: The proliferation of AI-generated content could lead to market saturation, making it harder for genuine, human-authored works to stand out. This could affect book sales and the discoverability of authentic content.

3. Erosion of Trust: If AI-generated works flood the market (and they are), readers may become skeptical about the authenticity of content. This could decrease reader engagement and trust in published materials.

To navigate these challenges, you might consider the following strategies:

• Advocacy and Awareness: Join organizations like the Authors Guild, which advocate for writers' rights in the face of AI advancements. Collective action can be decisive in influencing policy and protecting intellectual property.

• Transparency with Audiences: Promote transparency about the creation process of your works. Highlighting the human effort and creativity can differentiate their content from AI-generated material.

• Diversification: Explore diverse platforms and mediums for your work to reach audiences less saturated with AI-generated content. This could include live readings, podcasts, or interactive content that showcases the unique human touch.

• Legal Safeguards: Include explicit statements in their publications and online platforms prohibiting the use of their work for AI training purposes. While this may not entirely prevent misuse, it establishes a clear stance on their intellectual property rights.

Navigating this evolving landscape requires a proactive approach to protect and promote the interests of writers in the age of AI.

Don’t want to be on Meta anymore? Read more here:

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

But, Wait. Can We Reframe This Discussion?

While the controversy around Meta using writers' books without permission is understandably concerning, there are a few ways we might potentially benefit from having our work included in AI training datasets, provided that ethical, legal, and fair-use boundaries are clearly defined and respected.

Here are some potential benefits (with caveats) - remember, this is a theoretical, more than existential, idea:

1. Discoverability and Exposure

• If AI systems reference or cite sources when generating responses, readers might discover new authors and books.
  
  One of my clients, an MD who writes about mass casualty events and extreme overvalued beliefs, brought this to my attention; he’s glad his book and academic and scientific papers will provide well-studied information to the general public.

• Example: Imagine someone interacting with Meta's AI asking for recommendations similar to a specific style. If the AI transparently cites your work, you might gain new readers who seek out their books.

2. Enhanced Book Marketing

• AI-driven platforms could more effectively suggest relevant books if trained on specific content, increasing the visibility of niche authors or unique storytelling styles.

• Analogy: Like Spotify’s algorithm suggests songs based on listening habits, an ethically trained AI could recommend lesser-known authors, boosting readership and sales.

3. Advanced Audience Insights

• AI trained on broad literary databases could offer nuanced insights into trends, styles, and reader preferences, helping authors better understand their market.

• Example: Imagine gaining insights like, "Readers who enjoyed books with a strong female protagonist navigating mental health challenges also enjoyed XYZ themes." This could shape future writing and marketing strategies.

4. Content Innovation and Inspiration

• Writers themselves could potentially access sophisticated AI tools, ethically trained on diverse texts, to help overcome creative blocks, refine their writing style, or generate fresh ideas. I use it frequently to work through blocks.

• Analogy: Like Grammarly and ProWritingAid, which currently assist with editing, advanced AI could eventually help writers brainstorm or refine their unique voices.

5. Potential Monetization (If Done Ethically)

• If publishers and platforms create agreements with AI companies, authors might earn royalties or licensing fees for AI use of their work. Wouldn’t that be great? Getting paid for our pirated work. Imagine that.

• Example: Like musicians earn royalties from Spotify streams, authors might benefit from compensation each time AI explicitly references their books.

The Critical Caveats:

• Benefits hinge entirely on consent, transparency, ethical usage, and fair compensation. Right now, the main controversy arises from the absence of these factors.

• Misusing or unethical usage of authors' content fundamentally undermines trust and harms the creative community.

Marginalized Voices and Mental Health Perspectives:

• Many women writers and marginalized voices have long fought for our creative work to be recognized and valued. Any AI usage must ethically amplify, not appropriate, our voices.

• Protecting authors' mental health includes respecting their intellectual property and creative labor, ensuring they feel valued and not exploited by large corporations.

In summary:
This technology is here. Viewing the potentially valuable benefits is vital, but only if Meta (and similar entities training AIs) operate with complete transparency, consent, ethical integrity, and fair compensation.

Otherwise, the negatives significantly outweigh these theoretical positives. What are your thoughts on AI and writers? Please share below.

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Topic: Can we use AI ethically? A discussion.

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