A consortium of US newspapers, including prominent titles like the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, has taken legal action against tech behemoths Microsoft and OpenAI. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, alleges the unauthorised use of journalists' work for training artificial intelligence systems. The plaintiffs, comprising eight newspapers under the ownership of investment firm Alden Global Capital's MediaNews Group, assert that Microsoft and OpenAI unlawfully utilised millions of their articles to train AI models such as Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT.
This lawsuit echoes similar ongoing legal battles against the tech giants, with prior complaints lodged by The New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story, and AlterNet.
Addressing the accusations, an OpenAI spokesperson emphasised the company's commitment to supporting news organisations within their product development. Conversely, Microsoft declined to comment on the specific allegations, reported Reuters.
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OpenAI Overlooking Compensating Others?
Legal representative Steven Lieberman, representing the MediaNews publications, pointed out that OpenAI's ascent owes much to the works of others. Lieberman emphasised that while the defendants invest in hardware, software, and personnel, they seem to overlook the necessity of compensating content creators for their intellectual property.
The lawsuit contends that Microsoft and OpenAI's AI systems replicate copyrighted content from the newspapers verbatim upon prompting. Additionally, it alleges that ChatGPT fabricates articles falsely attributed to the newspapers, including a fictitious Denver Post piece advocating smoking as an asthma remedy and a counterfeit Chicago Tribune endorsement for an infant lounger, later recalled due to safety concerns.
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Beyond the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, the plaintiffs also include the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Orange County Register, and Twin Cities Pioneer Press. The newspapers seek unspecified monetary damages and an injunction against further infringement.
This legal action underscores a broader trend of copyright holders challenging tech firms over the use of data to train AI systems, marking a potential turning point in the evolving landscape of intellectual property rights in the digital age.