ChatGPT Creator OpenAI Sued for Theft of Private Data in ‘AI Arms Race’

  • OpenAI artificial intelligence model ignores risks, suit says
  • Its massive web scraping breaks the law, plaintiffs allege
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies before Congress in Washington on May 16.Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg

ChatGPT creator OpenAI Inc. is stealing “vast amounts” of personal information to train its artificial intelligence models in a heedless hunt for profits, a group of anonymous individuals claimed in a lawsuit seeking class action status.

OpenAI has violated privacy laws by secretly scraping 300 billion words from the internet, tapping “books, articles, websites and posts — including personal information obtained without consent,” according to the sprawling, 157-page lawsuit. It doesn’t shy from sweeping language, accusing the company of risking “civilizational collapse.”