Authors Suing OpenAI Will Get to See Its Secret Training Data in Heavily Locked Down Room

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Authors suing OpenAI for copyright infringement are set to gain unprecedented access to its training data — albeit under strictly controlled conditions in a secure room.

As The Hollywood Reporter reveals, lawyers for authors Sarah Silverman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Paul Tremblay announced in a new court filing this week that they have reached an agreement with OpenAI. This will allow the writers’ representatives to inspect the company’s training data trove — the first time OpenAI has permitted any outside party to view this material.

Secure Viewing Protocol

The training data can only be accessed in a secure room at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters on a locked-down computer with no internet or network connectivity. No personal electronics are permitted inside, and while note-taking may be allowed, copying any portion of the datasets is strictly prohibited. Every visitor must present identification, sign a visitor log, and agree to a non-disclosure agreement.

Head Case

These rigorous safeguards underscore the high stakes in the ongoing legal battle between the authors and OpenAI — a case widely expected to shape future precedents on AI training and copyrighted material. The attorneys, from San Francisco’s Joseph Saveri Law Firm, are simultaneously pursuing a parallel lawsuit against Meta. They argue that the authors’ copyrighted works were used without permission to train ChatGPT, enabling outputs that infringe on those rights.

In 2026, key portions of the suit against OpenAI were dismissed. In February 2026, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ruled that claims of negligence, unjust enrichment, and vicarious copyright infringement lacked merit. Later in 2026, the same judge dismissed the unfair business practices allegations, although the core direct copyright infringement claims remain active.

The timing, duration, and number of participants for the secure data review sessions have not yet been disclosed. Observers continue to follow developments closely as the case progresses.

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