Adult studio Strike 3 Holdings has leveled serious allegations against social media giant Meta, claiming the company downloaded thousands of porn videos to train its AI models. The studio has filed a $350 million lawsuit. Meta has dismissed the allegations as baseless and demanded the case be dismissed.
AI Training Controversy: Meta has found itself embroiled in a major controversy in the US, with adult film studio Strike 3 Holdings filing a lawsuit against the company. It is alleged that Meta downloaded thousands of porn videos via the BitTorrent network since 2018 to train its AI models, such as Movie Gen and LLaMA. The studio has demanded $350 million in damages in court. Meta has completely dismissed the allegations, stating that the company neither used any copyrighted content nor is there any evidence to support such claims. The matter is now in court, and the debate on AI data ethics has intensified.
Meta Accused of Downloading Porn Videos
Strike 3 Holdings claims that Meta downloaded their videos from the BitTorrent network since 2018. The accusation also states that these videos were used to train Meta's AI video generator Movie Gen and the LLaMA model. The company has demanded approximately $350 million in damages.
The studio claims that Meta used over 2500 hidden IP addresses to ensure this activity would not come under governmental or legal scrutiny. Strike 3 stated that Meta employed a planned method to steal data, which constitutes a serious case of copyright infringement.
Meta Calls Allegations False
Meta has unequivocally denied these claims. The company states that the case is entirely baseless and speculative. A Meta spokesperson said that the company's policy is clear, and the use of any pornographic material for AI training is not permitted.
Meta also stated that the allegations are technically implausible because the company launched large-scale AI projects in 2022, whereas the studio's claims date back to 2018. The company distanced itself from responsibility by suggesting that if anything was downloaded, it could have been an individual employee's activity, not the company's.
Questions Raised Over Case Timeline
Meta argues that the timeline for AI model training does not align with the lawsuit. On the other hand, Strike 3 contends that Meta used approximately 2400 of their films, which constitutes a clear infringement. Meta labeled the studio a "copyright troll," claiming it attempts to profit from false accusations.
This case is sparking a significant debate in the AI industry regarding data usage and ethical boundaries. Technical experts are also discussing the importance of transparency concerning the data sources used by AI companies.
