Neuroscientists Sue Apple Over Alleged Use of Pirated Books in AI Training

Apple faces a copyright lawsuit in California federal court, with two neuroscientists alleging the tech giant used pirated books to train its Apple Intelligence AI system. The complaint, filed by SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University professors Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik, claims Apple utilized illegal shadow libraries containing thousands of copyrighted works—including their own books—without authorization.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and an injunction to halt further use of the copyrighted material. This case adds to mounting legal challenges against major tech companies in the AI sector, spotlighting ongoing tensions between intellectual property rights and machine learning development.

Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI features integrated across its devices, now stands at the center of this copyright dispute. The plaintiffs' motion highlights how Apple's market value surged immediately after announcing the AI platform—a rise potentially built on contested training data.