New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft for Billions, Demanding Compensation for Copyrighted Journalism

The News Publishers’ Association of New Zealand expresses disappointment over The New York Times’ decision to sue Microsoft and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, for copyright infringements. The association is concerned about the use of news content to train automated chat bots and other commercial properties like ChatGPT. Andrew Holden, the director of public affairs, highlights the lack of protections against AI platforms using New Zealand journalism and emphasizes the importance of the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill. This legislation aims to oblige big tech companies to negotiate and properly compensate news organizations for the use of their journalism. The New York Times states that it is the first major US media organization to sue OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright issues. The newspaper accuses them of attempting to benefit from The Times’s investment in journalism without payment, by utilizing it to deliver information to readers through alternative means. OpenAI and Microsoft argue that using copyrighted works for training AI products falls under fair use, while The Times estimates damages in the billions of dollars and requests the destruction of chatbot models and training sets that incorporate its material. Efforts to reach a settlement have not been successful. The article underscores the respect for content creators’ rights and the disappointment expressed by OpenAI and the lack of response from Microsoft.