From IB Times:
Artificial intelligence company OpenAI could be on the verge of facing the world’s first defamation lawsuit over the content generated by its AI chatbot, ChatGPT. An Australian Mayor has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against ChatGPT, accusing the AI-based chatbot of making some false claims.
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Regional Australian mayor Brian Hood is planning to sue OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot, if it doesn’t correct the false claims made by ChatGPT. Apparently, the AI bot said that the Australian mayor had served time in prison on bribery charges.
The politician is understandably worried about his reputation online since people have started asking him about ChatGPT’s false claims. If the mayor decides to deal with this in court, then OpenAI could end up facing its first-ever defamation lawsuit against the AI chatbot. To recap, Hood was elected Mayor of the town of Hepburn Shire in November 2022.
Hood became concerned about his online reputation when he found out that ChatGPT had falsely accused him of being involved in a foreign bribery scandal. This early 2000s scandal centered on a Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiary. Although Hood worked for the subsidiary during this time, he was the person who informed authorities about the aforesaid bribes, according to a report by GizmoChina.
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Aside from this, the report claims Hood never faced any criminal charges. Another report by News18 suggests Hood’s lawyers sent a letter of concern to the AI company on March 21, urging them to revise the incorrect shred of misinformation. Hood’s lawyers have requested the company to either remove the misreported information or face a potential lawsuit.
Moreover, OpenAI has 28 days to change the inaccurate information. The AI firm is currently mum on Hood’s legal letter. It will be interesting to see whether Hood decides to follow through with the lawsuit, becoming the first individual to sue the company behind ChatGPT over false claims. A partner at Hood’s law firm Gordon Legal, James Naughton, pointed out that Hood is an elected official and his “reputation is central to his role.”
Link to the rest at IB Times
