You’d have to be purposely avoiding information on AI at this point to not realize that it’s a huge point of contention across many sectors of society.

More than one lawsuit has been brought, with everyone whose livelihood could be affected watching with bated breath.

This one, many hope (or fear) could deal a first death blow.

Google is asking for the class-action suit to be dismissed – a suit that claims current AI practices violate “hundreds of millions of internet users’ privacy, data ownership, and intellectual property rights.”

Basically, it’s a sweeping condemnation accusing Google and other AI developers of stealing creative property that’s available online, violating the rights of millions of Americans.

AI only learns by being fed, after all, and no one is asking permission before they fill up its belly.

On the flip side of the coin, Google claims the lawsuit will undermine the entire field of generative AI.

“Using publicly available information to learn is not stealing. Nor it is an invasion of privacy, conversion, negligence, unfair competition, or copyright infringement.”

They say giving credence to such a lawsuit would “take a sledgehammer not just to Google’s services, but to the very idea of generative AI.”

This all gets at a deeper – and thus far unanswerable – question: who owns what’s on the internet?

If data exists online, does that mean the person who it belongs to, or who created it, essentially agreed to allow it to be used to train AI?

Existing copyright laws are struggling to apply, and even those created to cover intellectual property are an ill fit.

Managing partner at Clarkson Law Firm Ryan Clarkson says the prosecution isn’t backing down.

“Our data is our property, our data is valuable and no one has the legal right to just take it. Big Tech’s attempt to make mass theft of our personal information a commercial norm is wildly irresponsible and short-sighted.”

I’m pretty sure that this fight is just getting started.

Right now, there’s absolutely no way to tell who is going to come out on top.