Anthropic, the AI company known for its chatbot Claude, is under legal scrutiny after an expert witness allegedly cited a fabricated academic article in a copyright infringement case. The lawsuit, filed by music publishers including Universal Music Group, Concord, and ABKCO, accuses Anthropic of using copyrighted song lyrics without permission to train Claude.
The Alleged Fabrication
During a recent court hearing, Matt Oppenheim, representing the plaintiffs, claimed that Olivia Chen, an Anthropic data scientist, cited a non-existent academic paper to support arguments about how often Claude reproduces copyrighted lyrics. The article was allegedly generated by Anthropic’s AI and falsely attributed to a reputable journal. Judge mentioned the incident as a “serious issue” and demanded a prompt response from Anthropic. However, she denied an immediate deposition of Chen.
Anthropic’s Response
Anthropic acknowledged the citation error but suggested it might relate to a different, legitimate article. The company has not provided further details on how the AI-generated citation occurred or what measures are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
Broader Legal Implications
This development adds to the mounting legal challenges faced by Anthropic and other AI companies over the use of copyrighted materials in training data. In a separate lawsuit, authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson allege that Anthropic used pirated books, including their own works, to train Claude. The authors claim that Anthropic’s AI model profits from “strip-mining the human expression and ingenuity” behind their works.
Computerworld
The legal landscape is evolving as courts grapple with the intersection of AI technology and intellectual property rights. While AI companies argue that training models on existing content falls under “fair use,” copyright holders contend that their works are being exploited without permission or compensation.
Conclusion
The alleged AI-generated citation in the copyright lawsuit against Anthropic underscores the complexities and challenges of integrating AI into legal and creative domains. As the case progresses, it may set important precedents for how AI companies handle copyrighted materials and the ethical considerations surrounding AI-generated content.