French publishers and authors sue Meta over copyright works used in AI training

French publishers and authors said Wednesday they're taking Meta to court, accusing the social media company of using their works without permission to train its artificial intelligence model.

Three trade groups said they were launching legal action against Meta in a Paris court over what they said was the company's “massive use of copyrighted works without authorization” to train its generative AI model.

The National Publishing Union, which represents book publishers, has noted that "numerous works" from its members are turning up in Meta's data pool, the group's president, Vincent Montagne, said in a joint statement.

Meta didn't respond to a request for comment. The company has rolled out generative-AI powered chatbot assistants to users of its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.

Montagne accused Meta of “noncompliance with copyright and parasitism.”

Another group, the National Union of Authors and Composers, which represents 700 writers, playwrights and composers, said the lawsuit was necessary to protect members from “AI which plunders their works and cultural heritage to train itself."

The union is also worried about AI that “produces 'fake books' which compete with real books,” the union's president, Francois Peyrony, said.

The third group involved in the lawsuit, the Societe des Gens de Lettres, represents authors. They all demand the “complete removal” of data directories Meta created without authorization to to train its AI model.

Under the European Union's sweeping Artificial Intelligence Act, generative AI systems must comply with the 27-nation bloc's copyright law and be transparent about the material they used for training.

It's the latest example of the clash between the creative and publishing industries and tech companies over data and copyright.

British musicians released a silent album last month to protest the U.K. government's proposed changes to artificial intelligence laws that artists fear will erode their creative control.

Media and technology company Thomson Reuters recently won a legal battle against a now-defunct legal research firm over the question of fair use in AI-related copyright cases, while other cases involving visual artists, news organizations and others are still working through U.S. courts.