AI and the Great Pirate Book Ripoff

I have been struggling to write this article, and figure out what to do with this cartoon / diagram I made about the alleged use of stolen books by AI companies for weeks now. The sheer scale and brazen bullying greed of these guys just astonishes me.I believe startups and technology have the ability for great good. But it’s being used to enrich the most powerful at the expense of the little guy.This diagram sums it up in one image. See my video for an explainer.ReferencesArticles I reference in the video:* The Atlantic, The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem* by Alex Reisner* Authors outraged to discover Meta used their pirated work to train its AI systems* by Nicola HeathThe analysis of how AI companies refuse to pay for data when they spend big on engineers and data centre costs was inspired by Ed Newton-Rex’s Ted Talk:What can We Do?The most important thing is we are not powerless. The number of daily users of the products these guys have is an instant stab of pain for them every time it dips. * ChatGPT - you don’t need it, delete your account* Facebook / Instagram - migrate to Bluesky, and SubstackCalling out everyone for using toxic AI products and just politely pointing out the harm — we could lose our book industry — is worth it.See my article from last week about pushing for regulation on AI companies.I’m loving the new campaign from Australian Society of Authors and other groups trying to throw light on these problems.Vote for fair AIThis year is an election in Australia, and there’s a chance to push for policies that support books, readership and our local bookshops.Don’t let them die. You’ll miss them when they are gone.Thanks for listening.Totally a Thing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit totallyathing.substack.com