Farnsworth claims that Meta fed Llama, which powers its AI chatbots, thousands of pirated books to teach it how to respond to human prompts.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and comedian Sarah Silverman have brought similar class action claims against Meta in the same court over its alleged use of their books in AI training.

Farnsworth's case, handled by Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, follows a judge's criticism of the lead attorney and the inclusion of famous lawyer David Boies.

Copyright owners, including writers and artists, have sued tech giants for using their work to train AI systems without permission.

The companies claim their AI training is protected by fair use, arguing the lawsuits threaten the growing AI industry.

Farnsworth, from Los Angeles, alleges Meta used pirated books, including his, to train Llama. He seeks damages and an injunction.