The battle over AI and copyright is heating up. US newspapers sue OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement, accusing them of unlawfully using millions of news articles to train AI models like ChatGPT and Copilot.
A coalition of newspapers, including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, has sued OpenAI and Microsoft in a New York federal court, accusing them of illegally using their information to feed ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
These media giants, owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNews Group, claim that OpenAI and Microsoft have been freeloading off journalists’ work while cashing in big on generative AI, per a Reuters report.Â
The lawsuit aligns with similar legal actions from The New York Times and other outlets, signaling a broader fight over intellectual property in the AI era.
A spokesperson from OpenAI insists they are mindful of supporting news organizations, while Microsoft declined to comment.
However, the lawsuit states that AI models are regurgitating copyrighted content word-for-word and even hallucinating false stories attributed to these newspapers—some with dangerous implications. One example? A fake Denver Post article promoting smoking as a cure for asthma.
The plaintiffs, which also include the Orlando Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News, are pushing for financial damages and a court order to prevent further misuse of their content.
As AI evolves, this case could set a precedent for how tech companies interact with the media industry.
