Class-action filed against OpenAI over alleged personal-data theft

An anonymous group of U.S. citizens filed a class-action иск against the developer of the ChatGPT chatbot, OpenAI, for the illegal use of private user information to train artificial intelligence (AI).

The plaintiffs allege the firm violated privacy laws by “secretly harvesting data from the internet.” In their view, such actions risk “civilizational collapse.”

They pegged damages at $3 billion, with the number of affected users, including children, in the hundreds of millions.

‘Despite approved protocols for acquiring and using personal information, the defendants chose a different approach — theft,’ the statement said.

The developers were also accused of violating terms of service, state and federal privacy and ownership regulations. The suit includes claims of invasion of privacy, theft, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Electronic Communications Act.

OpenAI harvested data using apps integrated into ChatGPT, including image and location data from Snapchat, musical preferences on Spotify, financial statements from Stripe, and private conversations on Slack and Microsoft Teams, the plaintiffs said.

According to them, the company undertook these actions to win the “AI arms race.”

The Microsoft corporation, which plans to invest ‘billions of dollars’ in OpenAI, was also named as a defendant.

Earlier this month, radio host Mark Walters filed suit against the ChatGPT developer after the chatbot mistakenly named him as a defendant in a criminal case.

Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before the U.S. Congress and urged the government to regulate the use and development of artificial intelligence.