US Tech Giant Nvidia Faces Copyright Lawsuit Over Use Of Authors' Works In Training AI Platform NeMo

US graphics processing giant Nvidia has been sued by three authors-Brian Keene, Abdi Nazemian, and Stewart O'Nan. The three authors have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the company. The authors allege that Nvidia used their copyrighted books without permission to train its NeMo AI platform, setting the stage for a legal battle that delves into the intersection of artificial intelligence and intellectual property.

Keene, Nazemian, and O'Nan contend that their works were among the 1,96,640 books incorporated into a dataset used to train Nvidia's NeMo AI platform. The authors claim that the platform aimed to simulate ordinary written language but was taken down in October due to reported copyright infringement. The legal filing argues that Nvidia's decision to remove the NeMo dataset is an implicit admission of copyright infringement.

In the proposed class action, the authors are seeking unspecified damages on behalf of individuals in the United States whose copyrighted works contributed to training NeMo's large language models over the last three years. The lawsuit encompasses a range of literary works, including Keene's 2008 novel "Ghost Walk," Nazemian's 2019 novel "Like a Love Story," and O'Nan's 2007 novella "Last Night at the Lobster."

Nvidia has remained tight-lipped on the matter, declining to comment on the allegations made by Keene, Nazemian, and O'Nan. The graphics processing giant, based in Santa Clara, California, has yet to issue an official statement regarding the lawsuit. Legal representatives for the authors have also refrained from immediate comment.

This legal action adds Nvidia to a growing list of companies facing litigation over generative AI technology. Writers and even major media outlets like the New York Times have taken legal action against companies utilizing AI platforms for creating new content. Nvidia's NeMo, which the company promotes as a fast and affordable solution for adopting generative AI, now become a focal point.

Nvidia is not the only tech giant facing legal challenges related to generative AI. OpenAI, the creator of the AI platform ChatGPT, and its partner Microsoft have also been targeted in similar lawsuits. As the use of artificial intelligence continues to expand, so too does the legal scrutiny surrounding its potential infringement on intellectual property rights.

Despite the legal challenges, Nvidia has become a darling of investors, riding the wave of AI's rise. The company's stock price has surged by almost 600% since the end of 2022, catapulting Nvidia's market value to nearly $2.2 trillion. The Santa Clara-based chipmaker's dominance in the AI sector has contributed significantly to its market performance.

As the lawsuit, Nazemian et al v Nvidia Corp, unfolds in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, it brings attention to the complex and evolving legal landscape surrounding the use of AI in generating content. The outcome of this case could set precedents for future legal battles as authors and content creators grapple with the implications of AI technologies on intellectual property rights.

*Inputs from Reuters*