The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming they copied articles to train their AI models

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of copying millions of Times' articles to train their large language models (LLMs), which power AI systems like ChatGPT and Copilot.

The Times claims that these models can generate content that closely resembles its articles, negatively impacting its relationship with readers and causing financial losses in "subscription, licensing, advertising, and affiliate revenue."

The lawsuit suggests that the AI models developed by OpenAI and Microsoft could endanger the quality of journalism by affecting news outlets' ability to protect and profit from their content. It claims that both companies have profited significantly from these models trained on Times' content without fair compensation negotiations. The Times is seeking billions in damages and asking the court to stop further AI training using its content and remove its work from the companies' datasets.

This legal action reflects a broader trend, with several news outlets, including BBC, CNN, and Reuters, blocking OpenAI's web crawler to prevent the scraping of their content.

While some publications resist AI use, others, like Axel Springer and the Associated Press, are making deals with OpenAI to utilize AI capabilities collaboratively.