Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft over unlicensed AI training

The Seattle Times and Newsday have filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging their journalism was used as AI training data without permission and that ChatGPT and Copilot reproduce passages of their reporting; the suit seeks destruction…

The Seattle Times and Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging OpenAI used their journalism as training data without permission and that its chatbots return derivative imitations of their reporting. They describe generative AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot as 'rapacious consumers' of human-authored journalism that could break journalism 'beyond repair,' and argue that chatbot answers reduce site visits and cost subscription revenue. Microsoft is named as co-defendant because Copilot is built on OpenAI technology. The outlets are seeking destruction of copies of their works, training datasets, and AI models that incorporate them. The suit follows similar actions by The New York Times (filed in 2023), Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, Encyclopedia Britannica, and nearly 400 local newspapers against both companies. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company was surprised by the suit but always happy to explore solutions; the two outlets have received Microsoft funding for journalism projects and fellowships.

• The Seattle Times and Newsday filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging unlicensed use of their journalism for AI training.
• The suit claims OpenAI's chatbots (ChatGPT) and Microsoft's Copilot — named as co-defendant because it is built on OpenAI technology — reproduce passages of the plaintiffs' reporting.
• Plaintiffs are seeking destruction of copies of their works, training datasets, and AI models that incorporate them.
• Publishers argue chatbot answers reduce site visits and cost subscription revenue, and that generative AI could break journalism 'beyond repair.'
• The suit follows The New York Times' 2023 lawsuit against the companies, as well as suits by Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, Encyclopedia Britannica, and nearly 400 local newspapers.
• A Microsoft spokesperson said the company was surprised but always happy to explore solutions; the outlets have received Microsoft funding for journalism projects and fellowships.