Mumsnet sues OpenAI and wants the information deleted

Those who have followed the development of ChatGPT know that it is a chatbot using OpenAI software which has hoovered up from the internet billions of words of useful information contained on millions of websites and which it reformats and presents in answers to questions posed to it by internet users who would normally have used Google or Bing search and visited a website for the information such as mumsnet.com which is why mumsnet.com is suing OpenAi for breach of copyright. And they want their data deleted and a cessation to its use. Microsoft has a 49% stake in OpenAI - see more at base of page.

Others are also suing, including The New York Times and the Writers Guild of America.

OpenAI has hoovered up website information by Michael Broad

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Julia Roberts, CEO of mumsnet.com said:

They [OpenAI] are basically hoovering up the whole web. And I think it's an existential threat to lots of small websites. What they are building is things that can answer questions without you having to visit those websites.

Precisely, I have been saying that (as have millions of others) for ages. The current situation is a killer for websites and frankly website owners are too passive. They need to form a 'union' to fight the big, bad corporations.

Mumsnet claim that ChatAI has 'scraped' (like scraping a barrel) six billion words from its website without permission resulting in a genuine threat to the very existence of mumsnet.com.

Think of the tasty food as tasty internet information and the spoon as OpenAI 😎👍

ChatAI claim that they have 'trained' their software using the information and 'training' is not breach of copyright (laugh 😀🤣). Microsoft also argues that their actions were lawful under the US doctrine of 'fair dealing'. 

Mumsnet is also claiming for breach of terms of use and database rights infringement.  They also argue that there is no 'fair dealing' doctrine in the UK where mumsnet is based.

Comment: What about the other AI chatbots? There is Google's Gemini and Poe and Bing's Copilot? Is mumsnet suing them as well because all of them have allegedly 'stolen' billions of lines of data on the internet.

And, yes, mumsnet.com is correct. All independent websites have suffered a double whammy shock both with the aforesaid problem with AI chatbots which means internet users avoid visiting websites and with Google's vicious and catastrophically damaging algorithm change which has crucified millions of smaller websites.

Also Google emphasised the need to fully meet their Search Engine Console Core Vitals metrics in order to achieve good search results but in my first hand experience this is simply not true. Your website can have perfect Core Vitals and great content but still be shunned by Google search. 

Conversely you can have crap Core Vitals and be successful.

It is troubling times for websites and I wonder why Google think that it is a good idea to kill-off websites. Also ChatGPT works against Google Adsense as there are less visits on the face of it.

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More info on OpenAI:

OpenAI is an American research company focused on artificial intelligence (AI). Their goal is to ensure that AI, specifically artificial general intelligence (AGI), is developed in a way that benefits humanity [OpenAI: Artificial intelligence company]. AGI is a hypothetical type of AI that would be as intelligent as a human, able to perform any intellectual task that a human can.

OpenAI conducts research on safe and beneficial AGI, with the aim of making sure this powerful technology is used for good [OpenAI: Artificial intelligence company]. They believe that AI has the potential to be incredibly beneficial to society, but also recognize the potential risks. Their research focuses on developing AI that is aligned with human values and that won't pose a threat.  

Ownership of OpenAI:

OpenAI has a unique ownership structure. Here's the breakdown:

• Microsoft is the biggest stakeholder, owning around **49%** of the company. They've invested heavily in OpenAI, providing both funding (over $13 billion) and computational resources through their Azure cloud platform [Wikipedia: OpenAI].
• The remaining 49% is divided among other investors. Some notable names include venture capital firms like a16z, Sequoia Capital, and Founders Fund [Techopedia: Who Owns OpenAI? Here's All You Need to Know].
• It's important to note that there's also a non-profit arm, OpenAI Inc., which retains some control and aims to preserve the organization's original goals [Wikipedia: OpenAI].
• So, while Microsoft has a significant stake, OpenAI isn't solely owned by a single entity. It's a collaboration between a tech giant, investors, and a non-profit organization. 

The above information comes from Gemini. I can't see how it can benefit humanity when it kills off websites and harms many thousands of small businesses dependent on internet traffic via Google search.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.