Mark Zuckerberg to Testify in AI Copyright Lawsuit by Sarah Silverman and Other Authors

Judge rules Meta CEO must be deposed due to evidence of his direct involvement in AI initiatives accused of copyright infringement.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hixson rejected Meta's attempt to prevent Zuckerberg's deposition, citing sufficient evidence of his role as the principal decision maker for the company's AI platforms.
The class action lawsuit, filed last year in California federal court, alleges Meta illegally downloaded digital copies of books to train its AI without consent or compensation.
Prominent attorney David Boies, known for representing Al Gore in the 2000 election dispute, has joined the case on behalf of the plaintiffs, including Sarah Silverman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Mike Huckabee.
Meta argued that Zuckerberg does not have unique knowledge of the company's AI operations, but the judge noted evidence of his specific involvement and direct supervision.
The lawsuit against Meta is part of a broader series of legal actions targeting other AI developers like Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI for similar copyright infringement claims.