Is it Okay for AI to Pirate Books?

 A member of the Spring 2025 Cohort of Your Bestselling Book sent me a recent article from Vanity Fair about how AI has deemed that 7 million books have “no economic value.” 

OUCH.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Last month, I prompted Meta AI with a question: “Is it okay to use pirated books to train AI?” 

The machine’s response was unequivocal. “Using pirated books to train AI is not okay,” it admonished. “In fact, it’s a serious violation of copyright laws and can have significant consequences for authors and publishers. Recently, it’s been reported that Meta used millions of pirated books to develop its AI programs, which has sparked widespread outrage and condemnation from the writing community.”

A few days after my original query, for reasons best known to itself, the algorithm lawyered up. In response to the same prompt, it hedged, “Using pirated books to train AI is a complex issue, and the answer isn’t straightforward. While some companies, like Meta, argue that their use of copyrighted material falls under fair use, others claim it infringes on copyright laws.” 

Meta’s use of 7 million pirated books to train their AI is now the subject of a lawsuit. 

Meta’s response? That the works of Beverly Cleary, Jacqueline Woodson, and Andrew Sean Greer, among many other deeply loved authors, are essentially worthless.

Gee, thanks. 

I wonder how the judges will view the case? What do you think? Let me know.

Aloha,
MeiMei

Tip of the Week: Revisit a Classic

When was the last time you read an “old” book. You know, one published when you were a kid, or even before you were alive? 

It’s funny how challenging it can feel to read books from the past in this modern era of whip speed everything. Difficult vocabulary. Rambling description. And yet isn’t that also what serves to make it enjoyable?

Kiran and I recently read Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl out loud with the Joy Boys. We all loved it. Simple, tender, and clever. Now, we’re just starting to dive into The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Let’s see if they tolerate it, or opt for the AI-generated synopsis. 

Quote of the Week

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

• Confucius