Trump administration backs OpenAI in New York Times’ copyright case over training of chatbots

The Trump administration has entered a legal dispute between OpenAI and the New York Times, supporting OpenAI's stance in a high-profile case concerning the training of AI chatbots using vast amounts of news articles. In court documents, the Justice Department argued that training large language models on internet content is protected under the "fair use" clause of copyright law.

The department believed that siding with The New York Times and other publishers would stifle "creative and scientific progress" and hinder American prosperity. The Times criticized the government's position, stating that it is aligning with powerful AI companies at the expense of countless American creators whose work was allegedly stolen.

The lawsuit, initiated in 2023, contends that OpenAI is unlawfully using billions of dollars worth of journalists' work to build substitutive products without permission or payment.