The New York Times Takes Legal Action Against OpenAI and Microsoft for Unauthorized Use of Articles in AI Training

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement for using its published news articles to train AI chatbots.

The suit claims that both companies have used millions of the newspaper’s articles without permission to help train chatbots to provide information to readers.

The lawsuit, filed on December 27, 2023, argues that the unauthorized use of The Times’s work has hindered the newspaper from doing its work and that OpenAI and Microsoft owe billions of dollars for the unlawful copying and use of The Times’s uniquely valuable works.

The suit also cites both the United States Constitution and the Copyright Act in defense of the original journalism of The New York Times.

In response to the lawsuit, OpenAI has publicly addressed the issue in a blog post, stating that The Times’s complaint was “not telling the full story” its use of Times data.

The company has claimed that using news articles is “fair use.”

This legal battle comes at a time when the relationship between the media and artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly fraught, as AI technology has threatened the traditional news industry.

The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the future of AI and the protection of copyrighted material.