New York Times Files Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft for Unauthorized Use of Articles in Training Chatbots

The New York Times has filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that they used “millions” of copyrighted articles to create artificial intelligence (AI) products that compete with the newspaper’s services. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and the destruction of all AI models trained with the Times' work. OpenAI and Microsoft argue that their use of copyrighted works constitutes fair use. The lawsuit highlights instances where the AI tool, ChatGPT, regurgitated information from the Times' articles without permission. It also claims that the AI tool provided inaccurate information, potentially jeopardizing the newspaper’s integrity. This lawsuit is part of a growing backlash from media outlets and creatives concerned about tech giants using their content to train AI models. In September, a coalition of authors sued OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement, and News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has called for compensation from digital platforms for content.