In a significant development underscoring the growing tension between media entities and the transformative force of artificial intelligence (AI), The New York Times has initiated legal action against Microsoft Corp and OpenAI Inc. The lawsuit alleges the unauthorized use of the Times’ content to aid in the development of AI services, a practice that has become integral to technology firms.
Filed in New York on Wednesday, the lawsuit contends that Microsoft and OpenAI rely on millions of copyrighted articles for training AI features, resulting in substantial damages, both statutory and actual. This legal move signals the first major challenge to OpenAI’s practices by a prominent media organization.
OpenAI, known for its ChatGPT chatbot, has previously faced criticism for scraping text from the web to train its AI models. While the startup has encountered legal challenges from individual authors, this lawsuit by The New York Times is a notable escalation.
The media company asserts that it reached out to Microsoft and OpenAI in April but failed to find a resolution. OpenAI responded, expressing surprise and disappointment, noting that ongoing conversations with The New York Times had been constructive.
Microsoft, a major supporter of OpenAI, has not provided comments on the lawsuit.
OpenAI, in July, inked an agreement with The Associated Press to access its archives and recently signed a three-year deal with Axel Springer SE. Despite facing multiple lawsuits from content producers, OpenAI remains optimistic about finding mutually beneficial solutions.
The legal actions against OpenAI include complaints from cultural figures such as comedian Sarah Silverman, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon. These cases are in early stages and may take years to resolve fully.
The lawsuit against Microsoft alleges that the tech giant copied The New York Times’ articles verbatim for its Bing search engine and utilized OpenAI’s technology, contributing to a purported increase in Microsoft’s value by $1 trillion.
The New York Times contends that, for commercial use, Microsoft and OpenAI must obtain permission, a requirement they allegedly failed to fulfill. The legal battle reflects the intricate challenges arising at the intersection of media, intellectual property, and the rapid advancements in AI technology.