Meta is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally downloading adult videos to train its artificial intelligence systems, arguing the content was likely accessed for “personal use” and not for AI development.
The complaint, filed in July by adult entertainment producers, alleges Meta downloaded at least 2,369 copyrighted films beginning in 2018. The companies claim the material was used to train an unannounced AI model and are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
Meta disputes the allegations and says there is no evidence that any adult content was used to train its AI systems. The company also argues the alleged activity predates its work on large language models and generative video technology, which it says began in 2022.
In court filings, Meta stated that the lawsuit relies on assumptions about corporate internet traffic and that the downloads could have been unrelated to AI research. The company asked the court to throw out the case, calling the claims speculative and unfounded.
The lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal challenges targeting AI developers over alleged copyright violations. Meta maintains it is confident in its position and will continue defending itself against the claims.