@writersguildgb.bsky.social Hi, member here. Some of my books are on this. I have never been approached, never given permission. Is there anything I/you/we can do? Best, Ian www.theatlantic.com/technology/a... - ThreadSky

ianmartin.bsky.social • 43 days ago

@writersguildgb.bsky.social Hi, member here. Some of my books are on this. I have never been approached, never given permission. Is there anything I/you/we can do? Best, Ian
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/search-libgen-data-set/682094/

Comments

nigella.bsky.social•43 days ago

Me too. Though I’m sure that any action is prohibitively expensive – as the plagiarists know and have counted on.

davidpattie.bsky.social•43 days ago

There's this from the Writers' Guild-
https://writersguild.org.uk/libgen-database-advice-for-authors/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJJaFZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZkSWoMjzR25QpIsH7ZgjKsFuEEKPiMxIEx3n5FSRtJQ8YuBxTN-k079Ig_aem_UsNlv_5Zz_fYZ7qwi48Kxw

jameshannah.bsky.social•43 days ago

Me too. And if it’s prohibitively expensive for you…

edmundpw.bsky.social•43 days ago

Class action?

nigella.bsky.social•43 days ago

You can’t stop these guys. They’re always the sort who always win. And ultimately this AI thieving is impossible to stop.

flowwork.bsky.social•43 days ago

It’s a tough reality, and it feels like an uphill battle against those with the most resources and influence. The way large corporations and rightsholder organizations are leveraging AI, especially when it comes to content, can make it feel like there’s no stopping them.

carlwinberg.bsky.social•43 days ago

But surely doing nothing would be a recipe for disaster?

nigella.bsky.social•43 days ago

Yes, I think it’s advisable to log the complaint, but essential to realise it won’t stop it from happening. I feel it’s all unavoidable, but (and it’s not often I say this!) I’d be very happy to be wrong

carlwinberg.bsky.social•43 days ago

Agree 100%, and apologise for the recipe pune.

outonbluesix.bsky.social•43 days ago

One of my self-published ones is on there as well as my 'proper' books. There's essentially nothing I can do about that as I don't have the expertise or resources.

gralefrit.bsky.social•43 days ago

This blew my mind. The govt’s AI adviser doesn’t even know this is a thing.

https://bsky.app/profile/roberthutton.co.uk/post/3lktsduj7ek2b

gralefrit.bsky.social•43 days ago

That’s definitely something the WGGB should be aware of — That the guy who’s helping the govt decide about AI doesn’t know it’s just stolen goods.

@writersguildgb.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/roberthutton.co.uk/post/3lktsduj7ek2b

hannahfearn.bsky.social•43 days ago

How can this even be possible when there's been so much public discussion on it including very prominent figures in the creative industries, such as Richard Osman?

lmorgan.bsky.social•43 days ago

That’s not just nuts, it’s desperately irresponsible: the Atlantic did a similar deep dive into what OpenAI had used last year - it was a smaller database, I think, but it was still absolutely public knowledge. You cannot have someone guiding decisions at that level who claims to have no idea.

gralefrit.bsky.social•43 days ago

I’ve been to Parliament once to advocate for the importance of copyright, residuals, royalties and it was like explaining calculus to a bluetit. Pointless. That class seem to have zero conception of the notion of property and ownership if it’s not bricks and mortar or land.

0tralala.bsky.social•43 days ago

Hi Ian. I’m raising this issue (which affects me, too) with the executive.

geess.bsky.social•43 days ago

I just searched half a dozen authors from Douglas Adams, Paul Cornell to Terrance Dicks, they're all on there.

ianmartin.bsky.social•43 days ago

Thanks Simon.

0tralala.bsky.social•43 days ago

Hi again. Initial response here: https://writersguild.org.uk/libgen-database-advice-for-authors/

mrchrisaddison.bsky.social•43 days ago

Class action?

megzigzag.bsky.social•43 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/eliseswritings.bsky.social/post/3lkubvhcdyc2x

Might just be US writers though.

eliseswritings.bsky.social•43 days ago

It is, though I've linked a form for Aussie writers by the Australian Society of Authors who will take it to our gov, and asked about the EU/ UK below the original post. If I hear anything about Canada, NZ or elsewhere, I'll add it to the thread.

timmorton2.bsky.social•43 days ago

Middle Class Action?

mrchrisaddison.bsky.social•43 days ago

Sure. All writers are middle class, so that works perfectly. Well done.

timmorton2.bsky.social•43 days ago

k2mey.bsky.social•43 days ago

They have my journal articles too. I viscerally reject them being used by Meta but it's not my copyright they're infringing because the academic publishing system is such a racket. Not sure what I can do. Be interesting to see if the publishers do anything (I already know the answer I think)

ianmartin.bsky.social•43 days ago

exploring with Writers Guild.

hursty.bsky.social•43 days ago

If you follow the link in the article to the TV and film database there's a lot on there which has been scraped from https://opensubtitles.org - pretty much everything I've ever written for TV. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/11/opensubtitles-ai-data-set/680650/

clairestibbe.bsky.social•42 days ago

It’s frightening how they’ve manage to steal all our hard work. Some of mine are on there. Nobody asked permission. I don’t know if a collective letter to SoA would even help.

joeshoo.bsky.social•43 days ago

Mine too the bastards

robtruestories.bsky.social•43 days ago

Mine's in there n'all.

writersguildgb.bsky.social•43 days ago

Hi Ian - our casework team can give advice to WGGB members on this - please do drop a line with full details to [email protected] We’re working hard on AI and are updating this campaign page regularly https://writersguild.org.uk/wggb-campaigns/writers-and-ai/ - thanks for flagging this too

sumarumi.bsky.social•43 days ago

You’ve probably already seen this, but just in case it’s slipped part you… https://bsky.app/profile/eliseswritings.bsky.social/post/3lkubvhcdyc2x

firingbullets.bsky.social•43 days ago

stop usng their shitty products for a start

ianmartin.bsky.social•43 days ago

yeah that'll stop them from nicking my work, what are you on about? if I ignore AI-written text they'll stop generating AI-written text?

firingbullets.bsky.social•42 days ago

its already happened, i understand your pissed off and that my reply was glib but what can you do against massive corporations and governments?

ianmartin.bsky.social•42 days ago

- Refuse to take any gig in which AI will be used as a "writing tool".
- Amplify the work of writers' and authors' unions, and urge non-union members to join.
- Be part of a class action against Meta for procuring illegally-obtained material.
- Continue to mock AI's attempts at creative writing.

steviechick.bsky.social•43 days ago

My books are on here too. This is enraging.

sarahfreethy.bsky.social•43 days ago

Me too - can non-Americans join in a class action?

ianmartin.bsky.social•43 days ago

have contacted the Writers Guild of Great Britain

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