The writer and journalist Richard O’Rawe has launched legal action against the technology company Meta, accusing it of the “unauthorised reproduction, manipulation and commercial use” of his works to train its artificial intelligence (AI) system.

His solicitor Kevin Winters said formal pre-action correspondence has been lodged in the High Court in Belfast citing “serious and ongoing breaches of copyright and data protection rights” and he was also seeking an immediate injunction “to halt what is really ongoing AI artistic larceny”.

Mr O’Rawe is supported by a number of other Irish writers and journalists, including Marie Jones, Martin Dillon and Trevor Birney, and Mr Winters said it is envisaged Mr O’Rawe’s case will become a test case “of David and Goliath proportions”.

“There is clear evidence that elements of the development of Meta’s AI language models took place in Ireland and the UK as well,” he said. “It’s now time to take a stand and engage the insidious AI encroachment into writers’ hard-earned work product.”

Meta has been approached for comment.

An investigation by The Atlantic found the technology company may have accessed millions of books and research papers through LibGen, a “shadow library” of pirated books and research papers, to train its AI system Llama.

A database of books pirated by LibGen, published by The Atlantic, reveals that works by Ireland’s best-known writers, including Seamus Heaney, Anne Enright and Sally Rooney, may have been used by Meta.

Last week the former Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, said Meta had used “many of my books without my permission” and he has “placed the issue in the hands of my solicitor”.

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Four books and an article by Mr O’Rawe are included in the database, which does not include his most recent work, Stakeknife’s Dirty War, about the British spy at the head of the IRA’s internal security unit.

“There’s something disturbing and very intrusive in taking someone’s work without their permission. It’s quite shocking,” Mr O’Rawe said.

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Supporting the legal action, playwright Marie Jones said: “If you took someone’s physical property without their permission, it’s a crime. Why should someone’s intellectual property be treated differently?”

Investigative journalist Trevor Birney said, “What Meta has done is pure theft. Nothing less. I’m under no illusion about the challenge my colleagues are undertaking. But a stand has to be taken.”

Mr Winters said, “Meta systemically mineswept our clients’ copyrighted works to train its Llama AI for its own commercial advantage.

“At no time was any attempt made by Meta to seek the consent of our clients’ to access their work or even to consider licensing these works through legitimate channels.

“The only recourse for them is to seek damages for the unauthorised commercial exploitation of their works or in the alternative, an account of their profits together with compensation for distress and non-material damage under GDPR.”