Book authors and publishers have teamed up to urge Congress to stop Big Tech artificial intelligence learning models from gobbling up millions of books without permission to build their AI software, The Washington Post reported.

Microsoft and OpenAI were sued in June by a collection of authors over the use of their literature in training AI software. The lawsuit was one of 40 currently moving through the courts as writers have pleaded with lawmakers to stop what they view as an all-out assault on their livelihood. 

One such author is David Baldacci, a writer of best-selling legal thrillers who shared how his son used ChatGPT to create a plot in his father's signature style. Within minutes the chatbot whipped up a complete plot, with twists and characters straight out of a Baldacci novel.

"It truly felt like someone had backed up a truck to my imagination and stolen everything I'd ever created," Baldacci said.

Ralph Eubanks, an author and University of Mississippi professor who is president of the Authors Guild told the outlet, "I see it as one of the moral issues of our time with respect to technology. Sometimes it keeps me up at night."

The tech industry has argued the pillaging of others' work is allowed under copyright law as "fair use," is critical in the quest to build AI that is better than humans, and is a a necessary step to stay ahead of the Chinese.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, said this week, "Today's hearing is about the largest intellectual property theft in American history."

The battle won't be easy. One of the first high-profile cases against Anthropic AI resulted in a federal judge ruling against a group of authors alleging copyright infringement.

Hawley asked Santa Clara University professor Edward Lee during the hearing, "When you say the mass theft of their work will benefit the United States ultimately, you're saying the mass impoverishment of its citizens ultimately redounds to the good of America? I think what you mean to see is that it may benefit American corporations."

Lee replied, "There is a national priority in maintain the United States dominance and leadership globally in AI."

James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell University, said the ruling is a blow to content creators and a boost for the AI industry. The ruling created a "road map" for future plaintiffs to demonstrate harm, Grimmelman said, and he expects the issue of how copyright law applies to AI to ultimately be decided in the Supreme Court.

The AI lawsuits have arrived as global leaders continue to urge technology firms to proceed with caution with the burgeoning technology. Following his election by the papal conclave in May, Pope Leo XIV labeled AI as the critical challenge facing humanity, saying it will require "responsibility and discernment" to deploy AI's "immense potential" to benefit rather than degrade humankind.