Those claiming AI training on copyrighted works is "theft" misunderstand key aspects of copyright law and AI technology. Copyright protects specific expressions of ideas, not the ideas themselves. When AI systems ingest copyrighted works, they're extracting general patterns and concepts - the "Bob Dylan-ness" or "Hemingway-ness" - not copying specific text or images.
This process is akin to how humans learn by reading widely and absorbing styles and techniques, rather than memorizing and reproducing exact passages. The AI discards the original text, keeping only abstract representations in "vector space". When generating new content, the AI isn't recreating copyrighted works, but producing new expressions inspired by the concepts it's learned.
This is fundamentally different from copying a book or song. It's more like the long-standing artistic tradition of being influenced by others' work. The law has always recognized that ideas themselves can't be owned - only particular expressions of them.
Moreover, there's precedent for this kind of use being considered "transformative" and thus fair use. The Google Books project, which scanned millions of books to create a searchable index, was ruled legal despite protests from authors and publishers. AI training is arguably even more transformative.
While it's understandable that creators feel uneasy about this new technology, labeling it "theft" is both legally and technically inaccurate. We may need new ways to support and compensate creators in the AI age, but that doesn't make the current use of copyrighted works for AI training illegal or unethical.
For those interested, this argument is nicely laid out by Damien Riehl in FLOSS Weekly episode 744. https://twit.tv/shows/floss-weekly/episodes/744
They're saving money which is effectively the same thing.
The pirate is looking to save money with their copyright infringement.
These AI companies are looking to make money from it.
There's no practical difference between the two.
If I save 100 bucks a month from my expenses it means I have an extra 100 bucks to spend on something else.
If I earn additional 100 bucks a month it means I have an extra 100 bucks to spend on something else.
The scale is the difference and who is harmed.
Billion dollar company losing $100. Who cares?!
Billion dollar company stealing from all artists in the world. We care.
Exactly. The difference is in people's head. Not in the act in of itself.
Thief steals a lollipop. Who cares?
Thief steals a car. We care.
Both are still thieves.