The ongoing legal dispute between The New York Times and the tech giants OpenAI and Microsoft has intensified following the disclosure of new court filings. A motion recently unsealed by digital media advocate Jason Kint cites internal comments from industry executives regarding the training of AI models.
Brent Hecht, Microsoft's head of applied science, described the large-scale development of the AI industry as the largest theft of labor in human history. Hecht further noted that if the defendants successfully argue fair use, the concept itself would effectively become a joke.
OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman acknowledged that generative AI poses an existential threat to publishers. He stated that these AI products function as direct substitutes for traditional news content, and their ability to replace such work will only increase as the technology advances.
The New York Times alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI copied millions of copyrighted articles without permission to build commercial products. The lawsuit, which began in 2023, claims these companies use stolen intellectual property to compete against the original news organizations.
The legal battle is expected to continue for several years. According to reports, the presiding judge is not expected to decide whether the case will proceed to a formal trial until sometime in 2027.
