The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft over ChatGPT

The New York Times announced on Wednesday that it is suing Open AI, the startup that created ChatGPT, as well as Microsoft, its main investor. The American newspaper denounces a damage of several billion dollars and accuses the two companies of making money off its back, since ChatGPT was trained in particular with articles from the New York Times.

The New York Times building, February 1, 2022. © ANGELA WEISS / AFP

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Does ChatGPT challenge copyright? For years, tech companies like Open AI have been using millions of free news articles to train their generative artificial intelligence robots. In fact, if you ask ChatGPT about it today, here's its answer: "Yes, I've been trained on a variety of data, including newspaper articles, different media outlets, and other sources...

In response, the New York Times, like other newspapers, explains that it tried to negotiate with OpenAI to get compensation in exchange for the use of its articles. But in the absence of an agreement, the newspaper finally decided to take the matter to the US federal courts for copyright infringement. He estimates the damage suffered at several billion dollars.

While generative artificial intelligence (AI) could revolutionize the way we use the internet, and in some cases compete with the media, news companies no longer want to let tech giants use their content for free to make a profit.

A few months ago, the German group Axel Springer signed an agreement with Open AI for ChatGPT to link to some of the articles of the media outlets it controls. Hundreds of other news organizations, including the New York Times, installed an app in August that now prevents Open AI from accessing their stories.

Lawsuits in other sectors

Several bestselling book authors, including "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin, have launched a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of infringing on their copyrights. Other companies, starting with the music majors, have done the same against the company Anthropic, which they accuse of using song lyrics to develop its generative music AI.

Read alsoArtificial Intelligence: Opportunity or Threat for the Cultural Industry?

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