New York, Tuesday, January 2, 2024- The New York Times on Wednesday, December 27 reported that it was initiating a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft on. 1The newspaper alleges that the widely-used artificial intelligence (AI) model, ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI in collaboration with Microsoft, had incorporated substantial portions of New York Times articles into its training data without proper authorization.
OpenAI and Microsoft swiftly responded to the lawsuit, vehemently denying any wrongdoing and underscoring their commitment to upholding intellectual property rights.
They argue that ChatGPT’s training data relies on publicly available information, contending that the incorporation of New York Times articles aligns with fair use guidelines.
This NYT accusation is at the center of a broader dispute revolving around the ownership and ethical use of creative works in the era of AI.
A number of websites have blocked access to these Large Lamguage Model based AI using their content in training. Those websites include the New York Times, CNN, Reuters, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Chicago Tribune, Canberra Times (Australian Community Media brand), Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The crux of The New York Times’ claim centers on the assertion that the incorporation of its content into ChatGPT’s training data amounts to copyright infringement, diminishing the value of its journalistic material.
Seeking financial compensation in the “billions of dollars” and an injunction to prevent further usage of its material in AI models, the newspaper aims to address what it perceives as a threat to its intellectual property.
The Open AI also emphasizes the potential negative repercussions on innovation and the hindrance it could pose to the development of beneficial AI technologies.
Beyond the immediate legal dispute, The New York Times’ lawsuit raises deeper questions concerning the ownership of creative works, particularly as they pertain to the training of AI models.
- Lawsuit Against OpenAI: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/ny-times-sues-openai-microsoft-infringing-copyrighted-work-2023-12-27/[↩]