A group of 35 small newspaper publishers have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the companies used their content to train AI systems without permission or compensation.

Background

The lawsuit, filed on June 24, claims that the companies scraped, copied, and ingested the newspapers’ content to build and commercialize their AI products, including ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot.

The newspapers argue that the AI companies’ actions constitute copyright infringement and that they deserve compensation for the use of their work.

Implications

The outcome of the lawsuit could have significant implications for the long-term survival of America’s independent, local free press system.

The case is part of a larger trend of lawsuits filed by creators against AI companies for using their work without permission or compensation.

Matthew Platkin, a former New Jersey attorney general representing the small papers, said that the lawsuit is about protecting the intellectual property rights of the newspapers and ensuring that they are fairly compensated for their work.

The lawsuit is seen as a key test of the concept of “fair use” in the context of AI training, and its outcome could have far-reaching consequences for the media industry.

Original reporting: Renton Reporter — read the source article.