‘An incredibly complex problem’: New York Times sues ChatGPT over use of its content

The New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright infringement is an “incredibly complex problem”, says Sydney University Digital Innovation Lecturer and AI expert Dr Mike Seymour. The New York Times has recently sued OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its content to train generative artificial intelligence and large language model systems, in a move that could see the company receive billions of dollars in damages. “It’s pretty significant, though it’s an incredibly complex problem because it kind of really hits at the heart of what we think these things are versus what they actually are in terms of both perception and use,” Dr Seymour told Sky News Australia. “There’s this whole notion that when you’re using a search engine, it’s sort of throwing up facts. “The thing about these generative AI programs like ChatGPT is that they’re not actually meant to be throwing up facts, they’re meant to be – in terms of the way that they’re built – just producing a plausible result.”