The New York Times Co. (NYT) has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), alleging that they used millions of the newspaper's articles to train chatbots without permission.
According to Reuters, The Times stated it is the first major U.S. media organization to sue OpenAI and Microsoft regarding copyright issues.
Reports state that the Times said in the suit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, that OpenAI and Microsoft are advancing their technologies, such as ChatGPT and Bing Chat, through the "unlawful use of The Times's work to create artificial intelligence products that compete with it." As a result, they feel it threatens their ability to provide that service.
Furthermore, the publication accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of trying to "free-ride" on its massive investment in its journalism.
The NYT was quoted as stating: "There is nothing 'transformative' about using The Times's content without payment to create products that substitute for The Times and steal audiences away from it."