A new chapter opens on the use of generative artificial intelligence with significant implications for the information industry. The New York Times has brought one lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement.
While the monetary demand is not specified, the lawsuit, filed in the Southern District Court of New York, asks "billions of dollars in statutory and real damages". In addition to these, it also calls for a ban on the two technology companies from using its contents and the destruction of previously used data.
Defending copyright
The newspaper intends defend his copyright, claiming that millions of his articles were used to train ChatGPT, Sam Altman's popular chatbot, which now presents itself as a reliable form of information competing with the newspaper.
Generative artificial intelligences, such as ChatGPT developed by OpenAI, use large quantities of written text and images to develop systems capable of generating new texts and images.
The New York Times is the first major American media organization to sue generative artificial intelligence companies, adding a new chapter to the legal battle over the unauthorized use of published works for AI training.
Indiscriminate use of NYT content
The lawsuit filed by the New York Times highlights theindiscriminate use of intellectual property da part of AI systems and the possible damage to the brand of the newspaper caused by the so-called "hallucinations" of chatbots, which incorrectly attribute false information to the newspaper.
“NYT journalism is the work of thousands of journalists, whose employment costs hundreds of millions of dollars a year,” the newspaper said in the complaint, underlining that the two companies avoided “spending the billions of dollars that the NYT invested in the creation of that work, using it without permission or compensation.”
In December, OpenAI announced a collaboration with Axel Springer, publisher of Business Insider, Politico, Bild and Die Welt. Altman's company will use the content of these publications in exchange for monetary compensation, the specific amount of which was not disclosed.
