OpenAI has accused The New York Times of illicitly accessing its ChatGPT chatbot and other artificial intelligence systems to fabricate evidence for a copyright lawsuit. The organization made this assertion in a filing to a federal judge in Manhattan, alleging that The Times engaged in deceptive practices by providing prompts that violated OpenAI's terms of use. OpenAI contends that The Times induced its technology to replicate copyrighted material through questionable methods, insinuating that the newspaper may have compensated an individual to manipulate the AI systems.
In response, The New York Times initiated a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and its primary investor, Microsoft, claiming that they utilized millions of articles without authorization to train chatbots for information dissemination. OpenAI's defense hinges on the argument that employing copyrighted content to train AI systems constitutes fair use under the law, potentially setting significant precedents at the crossroads of copyright law and artificial intelligence.
This legal dispute reflects a broader trend wherein copyright holders pursue litigation against tech firms for alleged copyright infringements in AI training. While OpenAI has been negotiating with publishers to lawfully leverage their content and has reached agreements with several media outlets, both The New York Times and OpenAI have yet to formally address inquiries regarding the recent filing.
The New York Times has presented extensive evidence showcasing products from OpenAI and Microsoft that exhibit nearly verbatim excerpts from articles upon prompting. Such practices raise concerns about the financial sustainability of media organizations if readers opt for AI-generated content over direct sources. This case is closely monitored as it could shape future policies and standards in AI development and the ethical utilization of digital content.