New York Times Files Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft over Unauthorized Use of Articles

The New York Times (NYT) has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of unlawfully using millions of the newspaper’s articles to train their chatbots. In the legal complaint, the NYT claims that OpenAI and Microsoft used its copyrighted content without permission to develop their artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, ChatGPT and Copilot, respectively. The newspaper argues that the defendants are attempting to benefit from its substantial investment in journalism through the creation of competing products that divert audiences away from the NYT. OpenAI and Microsoft contend that their use of copyrighted material falls under the legal doctrine of fair use. The NYT is requesting the destruction of chatbot models and training sets that utilized its content, but has not specified a damages amount. Previous discussions to resolve the matter amicably were unsuccessful. Both OpenAI and Microsoft expressed surprise and disappointment at the lawsuit. Microsoft has not yet commented on the matter.