Meta scrapes your published and unpublished works for their AI
All authors, published or unpublished, should be aware that your writings may be in a database that companies use to train their artificial intelligence (AI) programs. The Authors Guild has been a leader in combating this illegal practice. Here are some recommended steps to see if you’ve been impacted:
- Plug your name into this database to see which of your works have already been pirated: Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI – The Atlantic
- Follow these instructions to turn off default settings in your Microsoft software that are enabling use of your works: Microsoft says Word and Excel AI data scraping was not switched to enabled by default (Updated) | Tom’s Hardware
- Read more about the issue and steps you can take in this 3/20/25 article by Authors Guild: Meta’s Massive AI Training Book Heist: What Authors Need to Know – The Authors Guild
- Use the Authors Guild template to generate a letter of opposition to this practice: Send a Letter to AI Companies Telling Them They Do Not Have the Right to Use Your Work
When I used the LibGen database, I was listed in it 48 times! Most were for my scientific articles but one was for my “Monuments” play.
Even before this recent information, I’ve been updating the copyright pages on the ebook and print versions of my four published novels and shorter works. I’m adding a prohibition against use of my work for AI training. Authors Guild and others have recommended language, but this is what I use to be concise: “Generative artificial intelligence (AI) was not used to write the novel or create the book cover, and use of the book text or cover for AI models is prohibited.”
I encourage you to protect your creative vision!
Millicent Eidson, BWW member and former BWW Secretary/Workshop Leader, drmayamaguire@gmail.com
