Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
In 2023, the Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. They’ve since spent more than $20 million on the case, and publisher A.G. Sulzberger has no plans to stop fighting it.
Agence Sulzberger, the Times' publisher for over a decade, is deeply involved in defending journalism against the growing threat of artificial intelligence. Three years ago, the Times took legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement for using the newspaper's content to train their AI models.
This legal battle is just one front in a broader conflict, as the Trump administration has launched a campaign against press freedoms, most recently attempting to subpoena Times journalists over coverage of the president's Qatar-gifted jet. The Times, now boasting 13 million subscribers, possesses a stable and well-resourced newsroom; however, Sulzberger remains concerned about the myriad existential challenges journalism faces, including the administration's willingness to target reporters, AI companies' reliance on reported content, and the media industry's transformation due to these challenges.
In a recent interview, Sulzberger spoke about the recent subpoenas issued by the Justice Department, targeting several Times journalists and their family members for their reporting on the Air Force One jet. Sulzberger emphasized the unprecedented nature of such actions, comparing them to the overreach witnessed during the previous Trump administration and the seizure of Washington Post reporter's records.
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