The non-profit Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) sued Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement, triggering a major discussion about intellectual property and content generation in the field of artificial intelligence. CIR accused the two companies of using their content to train AI models without permission. This move not only harmed CIR’s interests, but also had a profound impact on the news industry. This lawsuit is not unique, as multiple media organizations have taken similar actions, signaling an increasingly tense relationship between the media and technology giants.
The non-profit Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), known for producing in-depth reports such as "Mother Jones" and "Reveal", announced on Thursday that it would file a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, accusing the two companies of failing to Use of its content without permission is suspected of copyright infringement. The New York Times and several other media outlets have previously taken similar legal action.
"OpenAI and Microsoft began stealing our news to make their products more powerful, but they never asked for our permission or offered compensation," CIR CEO Monica Bauerlein said in a statement. "This kind of free riding is not only unfair, but a copyright infringement. Journalists' work is valuable, and OpenAI and Microsoft know that, both at CIR and elsewhere."
CIR’s lawyers further stated in the lawsuit that plagiarism by OpenAI and Microsoft damaged CIR’s relationships with readers and partners and resulted in a loss of revenue. CIR is not alone. Many media organizations, including the New York Times, and eight publication groups owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, as well as The Intercept, Raw Story, AlterNet and the Denver Post, have also expressed interest in OpenAI. Filed a lawsuit with Microsoft.
Meanwhile, several writers' groups have also filed lawsuits against OpenAI, although some, including that of comedian Sarah Silverman, have been dismissed. However, not all media organizations are opposed to OpenAI. Some media, including the Associated Press, Axel Springer, Financial Times, etc., have signed content licensing agreements with OpenAI.
In response to CIR's lawsuit, a spokesperson for OpenAI told CNBC: "We are working with the news industry and driving traffic back to the original article by featuring their content in our products like ChatGPT, including snippets, citations and attribution. , working with global news publishers.”
While OpenAI and Microsoft have yet to respond to The Verge’s request for comment, the lawsuit will undoubtedly spark broader discussions about artificial intelligence content generation, copyright law, and partnerships between media organizations and technology companies. As artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, how to promote technological progress and innovation while respecting intellectual property rights will be a challenge that all relevant parties need to face together.
This lawsuit will profoundly affect the balance between the development of artificial intelligence and media copyright protection. How to define the reasonable use of copyright in AI model training in the future will become an important legal and ethical issue that deserves continued attention.