The Authors Guild lawsuit alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft deliberately trained their GPT models on copyrighted books obtained without permission, citing internal evidence that executives knew the activity was illegal. Plaintiffs claim the companies sourced texts from a “sketchy Russian website” and proceeded with a mass‑piracy scheme despite warnings that the resulting AI output would undermine authors’ livelihoods and degrade American literary culture. The filings include a Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Docket 1982) and a Corrected Rule 56.1 Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (Docket 1987), which detail how the defendants’ engineers and lawyers discussed the legal risks while continuing to ingest protected works. Lead counsel Justin A. Nelson of Susman Godfrey represents the class, which comprises over 18,000 Authors Guild members and prominent authors such as George R. R. Martin, John Grisham, and Jodi Picoult. The case, part of a multidistrict litigation pending in Manhattan, is slated for a hearing in early 2027, with further briefing expected over the coming months.