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Richard Osman Alleges Widespread Copyright Infringement by Russian Database LibGen and Meta AI
Broadcaster Richard Osman has publicly condemned what he describes as a large-scale copyright infringement scheme, asserting that every book he has authored has been “stolen.” According to Osman, the Russian database LibGen is illegally hosting tens of thousands of published books, including his entire literary catalog, without proper authorization. During his podcast, “The Rest Is Entertainment,” Osman further accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook, of exploiting these illicitly obtained texts to train its sophisticated Artificial Intelligence model, Llama 3.
Accusations Against LibGen and Meta
Osman voiced considerable indignation, lamenting the apparent futility of preventing the unauthorized use of his and other authors’ works. He reported that an individual known only as “MZ” purportedly sanctioned the utilization of LibGen’s pirated content. While Osman speculated that “MZ” could be Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and CEO, he acknowledged the absence of definitive proof to support this conjecture.
Meta’s Internal Discussions on Copyright Acquisition
The television personality, known for hosting popular shows such as BBC’s Pointless and House of Games, referenced an investigative report by The Atlantic magazine. This report, he explained, indicated that Meta initially explored legally acquiring the rights to use the literary material.
Cost Concerns and the Decision to Use LibGen
However, securing legal rights proved to be exceedingly expensive, deterring Meta from pursuing legitimate avenues. “In all these internal communications, it becomes apparent that it is not particularly cost-effective and it is not particularly simple,” Osman stated, emphasizing the difficulties associated with obtaining lawful permissions.
He further elaborated on internal communications, noting, “In the exchanges, someone articulates ‘Look, it is really, really crucial for Meta to procure these books with urgency.'” Another communication in the email chain reportedly stated, “‘Look, I’ve engaged with publishers, and the financial demands appear unreasonably high.'”
“Deeply Illegal” Methods for AI Training Data
Following these discussions, Osman alleges that a contentious decision was made to leverage LibGen as a source for Meta’s AI training data. “Evidently, authorization was subsequently granted to scrape LibGen, which, as we underscore, is a profoundly unlawful website,” he asserted.
Osman further claimed that numerous AI companies are employing analogous strategies to refine their Large Language Models (LLMs). These firms, he suggested, justify their expediency by pointing to less regulated nations, such as China and Russia, where such practices are purportedly commonplace.
Ethical Concerns and Lack of Redress
“I comprehend the business rationale driving this,” Osman conceded, while maintaining that Meta’s actions “genuinely appear” to be exploiting pirated content. He expressed concern over the lack of legal recourse for authors in such situations, stating, “within the literary sphere, there appears to be no remedy for this, and there rightfully should be.”
Frustration and the Current Tech Culture
Osman concluded with palpable frustration, “[It’s] difficult to discern the appropriate course of action; one could dedicate their entire existence to litigating against Meta. This epitomizes the prevailing culture, wherein entities with immense scale and audacity operate with impunity.”
AI Development and the Future of Work
Mark Zuckerberg, with a substantial personal wealth estimated at approximately $216 billion, is ranked among the wealthiest individuals globally, second only to Elon Musk according to Forbes. Notably, all top four individuals on the Forbes list are significantly invested in AI research and development.
Bill Gates, a former world’s richest person, predicts that as AI advances, only specific professions—computer programmers, biologists, and energy specialists—will remain secure. With AI systems already capable of “authoring” books based on existing human-generated content, Osman’s apprehensions regarding the potential obsolescence of writers and other creative professions, once considered resistant to automation, appear increasingly valid.