Viviane Ghaderi, a former Amazon executive, has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming misconduct and discrimination. She alleges that her boss instructed her to disregard legal advice regarding the limitations on the material that could be used in an Amazon AI model. Additionally, Ghaderi stated that she was demoted after taking maternity leave.
Allegations of Copyright Infringement
Ghaderi's lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Amazon of encouraging her to violate copyright law in order to compete with other tech giants in the field of AI. The complaint, dated April 16 and reported by The Register, outlines the details of her claims against the company.
Disregard for Legal Advice
According to the lawsuit, Ghaderi was responsible for identifying potential legal violations in Amazon's development of large-language models (LLMs), such as Open AI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard. She raised concerns about Amazon's internal policies, but her boss, Andrey Styskin, allegedly instructed her to ignore these policies in pursuit of better results, stating that "everyone else" in the AI industry was doing the same.
Discrimination and Retaliation
Ghaderi also claims that she faced discrimination and retaliation for raising these concerns and taking maternity leave. Despite bringing her complaints to HR, she alleges that they were mostly dismissed, leading to her eventual termination by Amazon.
Legal Battle and Whistleblower Protection
Her lawsuit asserts that Amazon violated California laws protecting whistleblowers and prohibiting pregnancy discrimination. Ghaderi's attorneys argue that Amazon's aggressive push to compete in AI resulted in employees like her becoming "collateral damage" in the technology industry's race for dominance.
In response to the allegations, Amazon spokesperson Montana MacLachlan stated that the company does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation in the workplace and investigates such claims thoroughly.
AI Development and Legal Challenges
The case highlights the challenges faced by tech companies in the development of AI products, particularly in navigating copyright laws and ownership issues related to the vast amounts of data used by AI models. With the rapid pace of AI development in Silicon Valley, companies like Amazon are under pressure to innovate while adhering to legal boundaries.
While Ghaderi's case is pending in court, it underscores the complexities of AI development and the legal implications that accompany it. As the technology industry continues to push boundaries, the intersection of AI and copyright law remains a contentious issue.
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By: rrommen@insider.com (Rebecca Rommen)
Title: Former Amazon Executive Alleges Company Instructed Her to Ignore Legal Advice in AI Development
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/ex-amazon-ghaderi-exec-suing-ai-race-copyright-allegations-2024
Published Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:34:59 +0000
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