OpenAI and Microsoft sued by newspapers over AI training data
The Seattle Times and Newsday are suing OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their journalism was used without permission to train AI models. This lawsuit, filed on 6th September 2026, claims that the AI models reproduce passages from their reporting, reducing the need for users to visit their sites and costing them valuable subscription revenue. Microsoft is named as a defendant because its Copilot tool uses OpenAI's technology.
This follows similar lawsuits against OpenAI from other major publications like The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica. Nearly 400 local newspapers have also recently sued both companies with similar claims. The publishers are seeking the destruction of any copies of their work held by the companies, as well as the training datasets and AI models that incorporate them.
Why this matters to you: This is part of a larger ongoing discussion about intellectual property and AI. For event businesses creating content – whether it is marketing copy, event programmes, or research – understanding who owns what and how AI models are trained is increasingly important. If you use AI tools for content creation, you need to be aware of the source of information the AI is drawing from and the potential for copyright issues. While this specific lawsuit is about news content, the principles could apply to any type of copyrighted material that AI models might ingest. It highlights the need for caution and due diligence when using AI in your business operations.