In a groundbreaking development, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has taken legal action against OpenAI and its business partner, Microsoft, over copyright infringement. The nonprofit organization, responsible for publishing Mother Jones and Reveal, alleges that OpenAI used its content without permission and failed to offer appropriate compensation, thereby violating copyrights on its journalism.

The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, claims that OpenAI's business model is "built on the exploitation of copyrighted works" and raises concerns about the impact of AI-generated article summaries on publishers. Monika Bauerlein, CEO of CIR, expressed her concerns over the matter, stating that their very existence relies on audiences finding their work valuable and choosing to support it.

Bauerlein further emphasized that when people are unable to engage directly with the organization's work, and instead encounter AI technology as an intermediary, it undermines the foundation of an independent newsroom. This, in turn, poses a threat to the future of not just CIR but other news organizations as well.

OpenAI and Microsoft have yet to respond to the lawsuit, adding to the string of copyright infringement cases they already face at the Manhattan federal court. This includes legal battles with The New York Times, other media outlets, and renowned authors such as John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and George R.R. Martin. The companies are also involved in a separate case at San Francisco's federal court, brought forward by authors including comedian Sarah Silverman.

While some news organizations have chosen to collaborate and reach agreements with OpenAI, in order to be compensated for sharing their news content for AI training, CIR has taken a different approach. The suit alleges that a dataset used by OpenAI to build its chatbot technology contained numerous links to Mother Jones' website, but often lacked essential information such as the author, title, and copyright notice.

Last year, over 4,000 writers signed a letter accusing tech companies, including OpenAI, of exploitative practices in utilizing their work. Bauerlein emphasized that news media is not a free resource for AI companies to profit off of, as journalism requires significant investments in office space, electricity, and salaries for workers.

It is worth noting that several news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, News Corp, The Atlantic, Axel Springer, Prisa Media, Le Monde, Financial Times, and the Associated Press, have entered into licensing deals with OpenAI over the past year.

The lawsuit filed by CIR, which recently merged with Mother Jones, highlights the significant costs associated with producing investigative journalism. It warns that losing control over copyrighted content will lead to reduced revenue and a scarcity of reporters, ultimately impacting the quality and quantity of important stories in today's media landscape.

As the news industry takes a bold step forward to tackle unauthorized AI use, the outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for the relationships between publishers, AI platforms, and the sustainability of independent journalism.