OpenAI and its primary supporter, Microsoft, are facing a lawsuit from a US news nonprofit for alleged copyright infringement, marking the latest in a series of legal challenges brought by news organizations against these tech giants.
The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), publisher of Mother Jones and Reveal, announced on Thursday that it had filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI and Microsoft of using its content without permission, criticizing what it called "exploitative practices" of artificial intelligence.
"OpenAI and Microsoft began using our stories to enhance their product's capabilities without seeking permission or offering compensation, unlike other organizations that license our content," stated Monika Bauerlein, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, seeks damages and a court order mandating the removal of copyrighted material from OpenAI and Microsoft's training datasets.
OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot relies heavily on data sourced from the internet, including news websites, to generate responses to user queries.
This legal action follows similar lawsuits against the companies by prominent news outlets such as The New York Times, The Intercept, New York Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, and the Denver Post. Additionally, well-known authors like Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, and George RR Martin have also sued OpenAI over allegations of unauthorized use of their work.
While the introduction of ChatGPT has sparked criticism from the news industry, several media organizations, including The Financial Times, News Corp, Politico, and Le Monde, have opted to collaborate with OpenAI through partnerships aimed at content sharing and AI development.
Most recently, TIME magazine entered into a multi-year partnership with OpenAI to provide access to its extensive archives, underscoring their commitment to leveraging innovative technologies to expand global access to trusted journalism.