The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement over their chatbots ChatGPT and Copilot, which use LLMs. The complaint argues these corporations are profiting from The Times’ journalism investment without recompense and endangering journalism.
The New York Times recently sued OpenAI, founded by Sam Altman, and Microsoft, led by Satya Nadella. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot use large language models (LLMs), which the newspaper claims violates copyright.
These LLMs can reproduce, summarize, or mimic The Times’ emotive style, according to the lawsuit. The case claims this harms The Times’ readership and costs subscriptions, licensing, advertising, and affiliate money.
The case alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft are profiting off The Times’s journalism investment without remuneration. It claims that millions of Times stories were used to educate computerized chatbots that compete with the newspaper as reputable information sources.
The Times claims that AI models undermine quality journalism. By using Bing Chat (now rebranded as ‘Copilot’) and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the firms are accused of weakening news providers’ capacity to protect and monetize their information.
The Manhattan Federal District Court complaint seeks copyright infringement penalties from OpenAI and Microsoft. The publication claims “billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages” for unauthorized use of its content to make replacement products.
The legal proceedings have not been responded to by Microsoft or OpenAI.
Conclusion
The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement over their chatbots ChatGPT and Copilot, which use LLMs. The complaint alleges that these corporations are profiting from The Times’ journalism investment without remuneration and endangering journalism. The complaint says that millions of Times articles were used to educate artificial chatbots, which now compete with the newspaper as reliable information sources. Plaintiffs demand billions in damages.
