In a recent development, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the country’s oldest nonprofit newsroom, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in federal court for alleged copyright infringement. This move is part of a broader trend in which news organizations are taking legal action against OpenAI for unauthorized use of their content.
The Center for Investigative Reporting accused OpenAI of copying, using, abridging, and displaying its valuable content without permission or compensation. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, claims that OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot has been crawling the web to provide answers to user queries, relying heavily on content pulled directly from news stories. This practice has raised concerns about the use of journalistic works without proper authorization.
The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI trained ChatGPT not to acknowledge or respect copyright, leading to widespread infringement of news organizations’ intellectual property. The Center for Investigative Reporting is seeking damages and profits from OpenAI and Microsoft, highlighting the importance of protecting journalistic content in the age of AI-generated material.
OpenAI and Microsoft have not yet responded to the allegations made by the Center for Investigative Reporting. The lawsuit underscores the challenges faced by the news industry in safeguarding its content from unauthorized use by AI platforms.
With AI-generated content becoming more prevalent, news organizations are facing increasing pressure to protect their intellectual property rights. The lawsuits filed against OpenAI and Microsoft reflect a broader trend of publications trying to safeguard their businesses amid declining advertising and subscription revenue.
Despite the legal battles, some news organizations have chosen to collaborate with OpenAI. For instance, Time magazine announced a “multi-year content deal” with OpenAI, allowing the AI platform to access and display its articles within the ChatGPT chatbot. Similarly, News Corp. has partnered with OpenAI to access articles from various publications for training its AI models.
The conflict between the news industry and OpenAI highlights the complex relationship between technology and journalism. As AI continues to reshape the media landscape, it is crucial for news organizations to find a balance between leveraging AI for innovation and protecting their intellectual property rights. The outcome of the lawsuits filed against OpenAI will have far-reaching implications for the future of news content creation and distribution.
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