Reddit Sues Anthropic for Unauthorized AI Training Data Use

Reddit, a prominent social media platform, has initiated legal action against Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup, alleging that the company illegally used personal data from Reddit users to train its AI model, Claude, without proper authorization. The lawsuit, filed on June 4, claims that Anthropic made over 100,000 unauthorized visits to Reddit since July 2024, using the platform's content to train its AI model without permission. Reddit is seeking damages for the unauthorized use of its content and an injunction to prevent further unauthorized access.

The lawsuit, submitted in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, accuses Anthropic of hypocrisy, stating that while the company publicly claims to adhere to legal standards and respect boundaries, it privately circumvents rules to maximize commercial gains. Reddit's Chief Legal Officer, Ben Lee, emphasized the value of Reddit's content, which spans nearly two decades of in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics. This content is crucial for training language models like Claude. Lee also highlighted the importance of human interaction in an AI-driven world, noting that Reddit's content represents a valuable human touch.

Reddit has previously authorized other companies to use its data for AI training. In February of last year, Reddit signed an agreement with Google, allowing the tech giant to use its platform data for AI training purposes. Additionally, Reddit entered into another agreement with an unnamed company, valued at approximately 60 million dollars annually, for similar data usage.

This is not the first time Anthropic has faced legal challenges related to copyright infringement. In August of last year, three authors filed a class-action lawsuit against Anthropic in a federal court, alleging that the company built its business model by illegally obtaining tens of thousands of copyrighted books. In October 2023, Universal Music Group also sued Anthropic in a federal court, accusing the company of systematically and extensively infringing on copyrighted song lyrics.

Reddit's lawsuit against Anthropic underscores the growing tension between social media platforms and AI companies over data usage and copyright infringement. As AI technology continues to advance, the legal battles surrounding data ownership and usage are likely to become more frequent and complex. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent for future disputes between social media platforms and AI companies, shaping the landscape of data usage and intellectual property rights in the digital age.