A recent lawsuit filed by a coalition of major news publishers against Microsoft and OpenAI has reignited the debate surrounding the ethical use of copyrighted materials in training generative artificial intelligence (AI) models.
The lawsuit, first reported by The Verge, alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI unlawfully used copyrighted articles from eight publications owned by Alden Global Capital (AGC), including the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, and Orlando Sentinel, to train their AI models without permission or compensation.
According to the complaint, the tech giants have allegedly appropriated “millions” of articles to fuel the development of commercial AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot. The publishers claim that these AI models can reproduce their articles shortly after publication, without providing proper attribution or compensation.
The lawsuit represents the latest legal challenge against these tech giants over their use of copyrighted content to train large language models (LLMs), which power AI technologies like ChatGPT. The plaintiffs argue that the unauthorised use of copyrighted materials undermines the integrity of journalism and unfairly benefits tech companies.
Microsoft and OpenAI Respond
In response to the allegations, Microsoft and OpenAI have defended their practices, arguing that access to copyrighted materials is necessary for training AI models effectively. However, the plaintiffs contend that the companies are profiting from the unauthorised use of their content without proper compensation.
The lawsuit also raises concerns about the accuracy of AI-generated content, with the publishers accusing the AI models of producing “hallucinations” and inaccuracies in their reporting. They argue that Microsoft and OpenAI are not entitled to use copyrighted newspaper content to build profitable enterprises without compensating the content creators.
While Microsoft and OpenAI have previously faced similar allegations, the lawsuit underscores the growing tension between tech companies developing generative AI and content creators seeking to protect their intellectual property rights.
In light of the lawsuit, the news publishers are seeking unspecified damages and an order for Microsoft and OpenAI to destroy any AI models that utilise their copyrighted content without authorisation. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the future development and regulation of AI technologies.
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