The New York Times sues OpenAI, Microsoft for copyright infringement

The New York Times (NYT) has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging the unauthorized use of its content for the training of generative artificial intelligence and large-language model systems.
Last year, a group of US writers sued OpenAI accusing it of copyright infringement.
The latest suit by NYT, filed in a Manhattan federal court, seeks damages that could amount to billions of dollars.
NYT contends that while OpenAI and Microsoft amassed information from various sources to develop their AI systems, they placed "particular emphasis" on New York Times content. The complaint asserts that the companies aim to benefit from the Times's substantial investment in journalism without permission or compensation, posing a significant threat to the newspaper's ability to provide its essential services.
Highlighting the importance of independent journalism to democracy, the lawsuit emphasizes the "vital" role of The Times's reporting in society and deems it "increasingly rare and valuable." The legal action further stresses the alleged "unlawful use" of the paper's copyrighted materials, including news articles, investigations, opinion pieces, reviews, and more, in the creation of AI products.
The lawsuit addresses concerns about AI models generating inaccurate information, commonly referred to as "hallucinations."
The Times alleges that Microsoft's Bing Chat misidentified content as originating from The Times, citing examples such as search results for "the 15 most heart-healthy foods."
The lawsuit does not specify a monetary claim. However, it holds OpenAI accountable for "billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages."
Additionally, the lawsuit urges the companies to destroy any chatbot models and training data using copyrighted material from The Times.