The esteemed American publication, The New York Times, has launched a legal battle against tech giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence innovator OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, for alleged copyright infringement used to enhance the AI.
The litigation demands accountability from the accused for a colossal sum in reparations.
Large language models like ChatGPT expand their knowledge by sifting through vast quantities of online information, a process in which the New York Times alleges its content was unlawfully employed.
The legal complaint details the unlawful utilization of “millions” of the New York Times’ publications to augment ChatGPT’s intelligence. It contends that ChatGPT now rivals the news outlet as a credible source of information.
The New York Times accuses the AI of sometimes generating “verbatim excerpts” from its paywalled articles when queried about contemporary affairs.
The suit argues that the consequence of such actions is that individuals can access the newspaper’s content without subscribing, thus diminishing subscription earnings and potential advertising revenue spawned from website traffic.
The lawsuit points to instances where the Bing search engine, which integrates elements of ChatGPT, showcases content appropriated from a New York Times-affiliated website, yet fails to redirect or include the publication’s revenue-generating referral links.
Microsoft’s significant $10 billion-plus investment in OpenAI underscores the gravity of the lawsuit, which was lodged on Wednesday in a Manhattan federal courthouse. The filing discloses the New York Times’ fruitless attempts in April to negotiate a congenial settlement concerning the copyright disagreement with Microsoft and OpenAI.
This legal challenge is one among numerous others against OpenAI in 2023.
The organization faced turmoil with the temporary dismissal of co-founder and CEO Sam Altman—a move that caused a stir among industry connoisseurs and nearly prompted a mass exodus of employees. Altman was subsequently reinstated.
In addition to internal strife, OpenAI and Microsoft confront a series of copyright suits, including a recent one in September filed by authors such as George RR Martin and John Grisham.
The same sector saw comedian Sarah Silverman institute legal proceedings in July, paired with a plea from notable authors like Margaret Atwood and Philip Pullman in an open letter that month, urging AI companies to financially recompense the creators for the utilization of their work.
Another legal charge is leveled at OpenAI, coupled with Microsoft and the coding platform GitHub, from computing professionals alleging unauthorized use of their code to train the AI tool Copilot.
These scenarios follow on the heels of various actions taken against developers of generative AI platforms, which can fabricate media from textual cues. In January, creators took legal steps against text-to-image services Stability AI and Midjourney, accusing them of operating on the basis of copyrighted artistic works.
As of now, none of the cited legal disputes have reached a resolution.