Updated
Updated · The Verge · Sep 6
Seattle Times, Newsday Seek Destruction of AI Models in OpenAI, Microsoft Copyright Suit
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Sep 6

Seattle Times, Newsday Seek Destruction of AI Models in OpenAI, Microsoft Copyright Suit

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Sep 6

Summary

  • Seattle Times and Newsday asked a court to destroy any AI models, training datasets and retained copies of their work that allegedly incorporate their journalism.
  • The publishers say OpenAI used their reporting without permission to train models and that its tools can reproduce passages in response to user queries; Microsoft was named because Copilot relies on OpenAI technology.
  • Nearly 400 local newspapers have recently brought similar claims against OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing chatbots divert readers and subscription revenue from news sites.
  • The case adds to earlier lawsuits from The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica, widening the copyright fight over AI training data.

Insights

If courts order the destruction of ChatGPT's training models, could this lawsuit single-handedly reset the entire generative AI industry?
Why are tech giants funding local journalism projects while simultaneously being accused of scraping their content to destroy their business models?
Will the shift from web search to AI-generated answers drive local newspapers into total extinction by siphoning their vital traffic?