The New York Times has taken legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement in the training of AI models like ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs).
The lawsuit, filed in a Manhattan federal court, claims that the AI systems developed by OpenAI and utilized by Microsoft, particularly ChatGPT, used "millions" of New York Times articles without explicit authorization. The publication asserts that this has led to direct competition between its content and the AI-generated output.
At the heart of the complaint lies the allegation that these AI models possess the ability to produce content that not only closely mirrors but also verbatim quotes and summarizes New York Times articles. The lawsuit argues that such capabilities detrimentally impact the newspaper's relationship with its readership, resulting in revenue loss from subscriptions, licensing, advertising, and affiliate channels.
Moreover, the lawsuit highlights instances where the AI-generated responses, such as those seen in Microsoft's Bing search engine, allegedly provide New York Times content without proper attribution or links, effectively diverting potential subscribers and revenue away from the newspaper's platform.
This legal action follows unsuccessful negotiations initiated by The New York Times in April, aimed at finding a resolution with Microsoft and OpenAI regarding the alleged copyright infringement. The lawsuit seeks significant damages amounting to "billions of dollars" and demands that both companies refrain from utilizing New York Times content to train their AI models in the future.
The case adds to a growing series of legal battles faced by OpenAI, including a similar copyright infringement case initiated by authors, comedian Sarah Silverman, and a collective action by computing experts. These cases highlight the ongoing debate around the use of copyrighted material to train AI systems, posing fundamental questions about intellectual property rights in the realm of advanced technology.
The BBC has reached out to OpenAI and Microsoft for their comments on the matter, but responses from both entities are currently pending.
