In a recent development, the New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, for allegedly using copyrighted articles to train its AI system. The lawsuit also includes Microsoft as a defendant, claiming that both companies should be held responsible for the substantial damages caused by copyright infringement. This legal action brings into question the ethical considerations surrounding the use of large language models (LLMs) that rely on vast amounts of data, often obtained from online sources.
The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI used “millions” of New York Times articles without permission to enhance the intelligence of ChatGPT. As a result, the AI tool is now being portrayed as a reliable source of information, competing directly with the New York Times. When queried about current events, ChatGPT is reported to generate “verbatim excerpts” from New York Times articles, which are otherwise only accessible through paid subscriptions. This not only undermines the newspaper’s subscription revenue but also affects its advertising clicks, as readers can now access content without paying. The lawsuit also highlights an instance where Bing, which integrates ChatGPT, displayed results from a New York Times-owned website without providing proper attribution or referral links, thereby hindering the newspaper’s ability to generate income.
Microsoft’s significant investment of over $10 billion in OpenAI further complicates the lawsuit. While the New York Times attempted to find a resolution with both companies earlier in the year, their efforts were unsuccessful. This legal action comes amidst internal turmoil at OpenAI, with the recent dismissal and subsequent rehiring of co-founder and CEO Sam Altman causing upheaval within the organization.
Moreover, OpenAI currently faces multiple lawsuits, including one related to copyright infringement brought by prominent authors like George RR Martin and John Grisham. Comedian Sarah Silverman also initiated legal action against OpenAI in July, and prominent authors such as Margaret Atwood and Philip Pullman issued an open letter demanding compensation for the use of their work by AI companies. Additionally, a group of computing experts has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Microsoft, and GitHub, asserting unauthorized usage of their code to train an AI called Copilot. These legal challenges not only raise concerns about the accountability of AI developers but also highlight the ongoing debate surrounding the use of generative AI.
It is important to note that none of these lawsuits have reached a resolution thus far, leaving the outcome uncertain. These legal battles demonstrate the growing need for stringent regulations and guidelines concerning the ethical use of copyrighted material to train AI systems. As AI continues to advance, it is crucial to strike a balance between technological innovation and safeguarding intellectual property rights. The outcome of these lawsuits will undoubtedly have significant implications for the future development and deployment of AI technologies.
