The database* used to train many generative AI platforms has been made public, so authors/writers can now see whether pirated copies of our books were used in order to train the AIs.
Spoiler alert. FOUR (4)❗️of my books were used. That’s easily three years of my life (+$ for art, editing, etc), not including all the years of experience (writing, filmmaking, etc) and education that came before the actual conceiving and writing of those particular books.
I’m just … a little sad, I guess.
I keep my prices low and I publish wide and in multiple formats for accessibility. I make my ebooks free for libraries and put them in subscription services like KoboPlus and Scribd to help those who choose to pirate out of financial hardship.
But using my work without permission to train AIs to write, to somehow mimic the act of storytelling?
It’s just … done, I guess.
It’s done.
Just yet another thing taken from me without thought, another violation, only this time of my mind and the precious little time I have to create. Another little death. Four of them, in fact. And not the good, endorphin-releasing kind.
Just me and 183,000** other writers who struggle, fight, to get the words out of our heads and on the page, then often fall even further apart as we edit and smooth it all for publication (yet another well-documented battle).
There is nothing to be done.
Because it’s already been done.
But I thought you might want to know about it.
Thank you to Lisette from the FaRo Discord who drew my attention to the article and the database linked below.
* Database: https://full-stack-search-prod.vercel.app/