{
  "id": 8171671,
  "title": "Microsoft exec called AI scraping the “largest theft of labor in human history”",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/microsoft-exec-called-ai-scraping-the-largest-theft-of-labor-in-human-8171671",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-17T20:10:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica",
    "slug": "ars-technica",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/microsoft-exec-called-ai-scraping-the-largest-theft-of-labor-in-human-history/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, Microsoft and OpenAI have battled accusations from news organizations that the AI companies conspired to infringe copyright laws by gathering vast amounts of news content to train their artificial intelligence systems. Recently, the previously confidential details of this dispute have begun to surface. On Thursday, documents were unsealed from a legal motion for summary judgment filed by news plaintiffs, including The New York Times. These previously confidential internal documents reveal the extent to which Microsoft and OpenAI viewed the threat to news organizations before launching new AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot. Most significantly, Microsoft's Director of Applied Science Brent Hecht's warnings about the potential impact of scraping news for AI training emerged as particularly striking. Hecht described the act of scraping news as \"an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,\" and even went so far as to call it \"the largest theft of labor in human history,\" according to news organizations. In a separate document, Hecht directly challenged Microsoft and OpenAI's assertion that using news content to train AI was a valid application of fair use, arguing that the plan to extensively scrape news \"mocked the very concept of fair use.\"",
  "summary": "Microsoft, OpenAI emails reveal fear of AI “doom loop” killing news orgs.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 11,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "NYT court filing: ChatGPT's head wrote that publishers face an \"existential threat\" and a Microsoft executive called AI training \"an astonishing theft\" (Financial Times)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/nyt-court-filing-chatgpts-head-wrote-that-publishers-face-an",
        "published": "2026-09-17T19:35:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechCrunch",
        "title": "Microsoft exec called AI scraping ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,’ new unredacted filings reveal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/microsoft-exec-called-ai-scraping-the-largest-theft-of-labor-in-human",
        "published": "2026-09-17T19:46:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica Policy",
        "title": "Microsoft exec called AI scraping the “largest theft of labor in human history”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/microsoft-exec-called-ai-scraping-the-largest-theft-of-labor-in-human-8162648",
        "published": "2026-09-17T20:10:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Futurism",
        "title": "Microsoft Director Privately Admitted AI Was the “Largest Theft of Labor in Human History,” Unsealed Court Documents Show",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/microsoft-director-privately-admitted-ai-was-the-largest-theft-of",
        "published": "2026-09-17T21:46:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "NYT alleges Microsoft, OpenAI knew using news content was theft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/nyt-alleges-microsoft-openai-knew-using-news-content-was-theft",
        "published": "2026-09-17T23:00:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "NYT alleges Microsoft, OpenAI knew using news content was theft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/nyt-alleges-microsoft-openai-knew-using-news-content-was-theft-8131753",
        "published": "2026-09-17T23:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "NYT alleges Microsoft, OpenAI knowingly used news articles in ‘largest labour theft in human history’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/nyt-alleges-microsoft-openai-knowingly-used-news-articles-in-largest",
        "published": "2026-09-18T01:08:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "NYT alleges Microsoft, OpenAI knew using news content was theft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/nyt-alleges-microsoft-openai-knew-using-news-content-was-theft",
        "published": "2026-09-18T01:19:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "NYT says Microsoft, OpenAI knew using content was theft",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/nyt-says-microsoft-openai-knew-using-content-was-theft",
        "published": "2026-09-18T04:21:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TechRadar",
        "title": "Microsoft exec said AI scraping was ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,’ lawsuit filings reveal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/microsoft-exec-said-ai-scraping-was-the-largest-theft-of-labor-in",
        "published": "2026-09-18T10:07:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}