hat happened

Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, professors at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, filed a lawsuit in a California federal court alleging that Apple used illegal "shadow libraries" containing pirated books to develop its AI models. 

The two claim their books, "Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles" and "Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions," were among the copyrighted materials Apple used without their consent. 

The complaint also alleges that Apple scraped the copyrighted materials from the internet to enhance its AI capabilities. 

After the public announcement of Apple Intelligence, Apple's market value surged by over USD 200 billion, described as the most lucrative day in the company's history. 

The neuroscientists seek monetary damages and a court injunction to stop Apple from continuing this unauthorised use. This lawsuit follows similar legal actions by other authors against Apple and technolofy firms such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta over AI copyright infringement.

Why it happened

Apple allegedly relied on unauthorised shadow libraries, specifically Books3, to gather huge datasets for training its AI models, ignoring the need to obtain permission and compensate the copyright holders. 

The practice reflects a broader tension between the demands of developing AI products and services and copyright law, with tech companies pushing AI capabilities rapidly for competitive and financial gain whilst seemingly disregarding legal and ethical boundaries.