So your book has been pirated?

 

Yes, nine of my books have been pirated by AI creators.

She Captains

Island of the Lost

In the Wake of Madness

A Watery Grave

Shark Island

Run Afoul

Deadly Shoals

The Notorious Captain Hayes

Tupaia

So if you read a castaway story, a pirate story, a yarn about sefaring wives, or an extraordinary Tahitian priest and navigator, and it sounds a lot like something I wrote, it wasn't me, it wasn't copied by some imitator, it was stolen by a robot, to be used by robots.

Fellow writer Alaric Bond warned me of this, so I headed for the Authors Guild.

The item was headed 

YOU JUST FOUND OUT YOUR BOOK WAS USED TO TRAIN AI. 

NOW WHAT?

Hitting the search Books3 dataset link (which takes you to another link inside an Atlantic article) and then entering my name brought up the nine titles, but not the editions. A warning here -- you can only do this once, unless you subscribe to The Atlantic, as once you have had your freebie, they want your money.  A fine magazine, but hardworking writers don't have the money or the time, in most cases.

I also found newspaper articles, such as this one from the Australian edition of The Guardian.

It is rather reassuring to find that I am in the company of such illustrious writers, but as they say, it is the biggest act of copyright theft in history.  It is not right, it is not nice, and it should be stopped.

So ... now what, indeed. 

Here is what the Authors Guild very helpfully suggests. I strongly recommend that it should be followed by all authors, and not just those with books that have been pirated, because who knows who is going to be swept up in the net next?

Actions You Can Take Now

Litigation can take a long time, but there are other important actions you take to speak out in defense of your rights now:

1. If your books are in the Books3 dataset, or if any AI system has intimate knowledge of them, you can send a letter to AI companies telling them that they do not have the right to use your books. We have created a form to make it easy for you to send this letter.
2. Sign our open letter to the CEOs of AI companies demanding they compensate writers and get proper permission. More than 15,000 writers have signed to date. You can add your signature here. 
3. Take action to prevent future unauthorized use of your work in AI systems. Read more about how to do this here. 
4. Support the Authors Guild in our efforts to protect writers by becoming a member or making a donation. Your support helps us fight to protect writers’ copyrights against AI misuse and ensure that authors are entitled to control the use of their work and be compensated for it in the age of AI.  
5. Stay informed on the lawsuits and legislation that could impact you by signing up for our newsletter. The landscape is changing rapidly, and we share information about regulations that pertain to AI use of creative works.

Having your book used by AI can be discouraging, but don’t feel powerless. Take action to protect your rights, join forces with other authors, and push the industry toward a fairer system of transparency and compensation. With collective action, we can shape an AI future that respects authorship and protects the profession at large.