AI "cannibalizes proprietary content" and might force OpenAI to pay millions of dollars.
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AI can be an issue not only for artists but also for other professionals, including journalists, and some of them are ready to go to court over copyright questions.
As reported by The Guardian, several Canadian news companies have sued OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, accusing it of "strip-mining journalism" and unjust enrichment by using news articles to train the software.
The suit, filed on Friday, demands to prohibit OpenAI from using the companies' articles and share the profits made from every use of their materials, which will result in OpenAI losing billions of dollars if the outlets win the lawsuit.
The media organizations involved include the Globe and Mail, the Canadian Press, the CBC, the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, and Postmedia. They want up to C$20,000 in damages for each article used by OpenAI.
"These artificial intelligence companies cannibalize proprietary content and are free-riding on the backs of news publishers who invest real money to employ real journalists who produce real stories for real people," said Paul Deegan, president of News Media Canada.
This is not OpenAI's first possible charge: several authors, including George R.R. Martin, have sued the company over copyright issues before. Moreover, in a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, one of the firm's co-founders, has filed a lawsuit accusing it of violating their initial agreement to create AI for the betterment of humanity and not profit by collaborating with Microsoft.
If OpenAI loses all of these, it might be in trouble. Who do you think will win? Join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.