News publishers complain OpenAI uses articles to train ChatGPT

Prominent news publishers accused OpenAI of using their articles without their knowledge or consent to train its AI models and systems, including ChatGPT.

CNN, Reuters, The News York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other publishers accused AI companies and developers, including OpenAI, of using their articles to train their AI and machine learning software in violation of their terms of use. 

In October 2023, News/Media Alliance, an US-based initiative representing over 2,200 publishers, argued that AI firms regularly used the information in news stories without authorisation, and violate laws protecting intellectual property in a white paper and comments to the US Copyright Office.

The group’s research claimed datasets, such as the C4 language dataset, 'significantly' overweighted content from news, magazines, and digital media sources, using it 5 to almost 100 times as frequently as other content. It also suggested chatbots copy and use publisher content in their outputs to users, putting them in competition with news outlets.