Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that it used nearly 82TB of pirated books to train its AI models, including LLaMA. Court records reveal that Meta reportedly downloaded content from shadow libraries like Z-Library, LibGen, and Anna’s Archive.
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Internal communications suggest that some Meta employees voiced ethical concerns about using pirated material. In October 2022, a senior AI researcher warned against the practice, while another employee compared it to piracy sites like PirateBay. Despite these concerns, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly pushed for the continued use of such materials in early 2023.
The lawsuit is part of a broader legal battle in the AI industry, with companies like OpenAI and Nvidia also facing similar claims. Meta is expected to challenge any ruling against it, potentially prolonging the case for years.
