The Daily

The Writers’ Revolt Against A.I. Companies

Jul 18, 2023

Sheera Frenkel, a technology correspondent for The New York Times, dives into the uproar surrounding AI companies appropriating creative works without consent. She discusses the feelings of exploitation among authors, comedians, and fan fiction writers as their content feeds AI systems. Frenkel highlights notable lawsuits, including one by Sarah Silverman, and the deepening divide between human creativity and AI output. The conversation reflects a growing demand for control over original works in an increasingly digital landscape.

29:03

Creator website

Episode guests

Sheera Frenkel

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Creativity in the Age of AI

11min

Navigating Copyright Challenges and Celebrating Cocoa Culture

2min

The Rise of Fanfiction and Its Battle Against AI Influence

2min

Fan Fiction in the Age of AI

10min

Global Impacts of Recent Geopolitical and Environmental Developments

3min

To refine their popular technology, new artificial intelligence platforms like Chat-GPT are gobbling up the work of authors, poets, comedians and actors — without their consent.

Sheera Frenkel, a technology correspondent for The Times, explains why a rebellion is brewing.

Guest: Sheera Frenkel, a technology correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading:

Fed up with A.I. companies consuming online content without consent, fan fiction writers, actors, social media companies and news organizations are among those rebelling.
The comedian and actress Sarah Silverman has joined two lawsuits accusing the companies of training A.I. models using her writing without permission.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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