A coalition of Canadian news publishers, which includes major outlets like The Canadian Press, Torstar, Globe and Mail, Postmedia, and CBC/Radio-Canada, has initiated legal action against OpenAI. They accuse the company of unlawfully using news content to train its ChatGPT generative AI system.

In a unified statement released on Friday, the publishers allege that OpenAI routinely infringes upon copyright by extracting substantial amounts of material from Canadian media sources. They express concerns that OpenAI is profiting from this content without obtaining the necessary consent or providing compensation to the original content creators.

The media organizations argue that these practices threaten the significant financial investments made in journalism, highlighting that the material in question is protected under copyright laws. They further emphasize that while the news media sector is open to embracing technological advancements, it is essential that all parties adhere to legal frameworks, and that any use of intellectual property must occur under fair conditions.

Generative AI systems, such as those developed by OpenAI, have the ability to produce a variety of outputs, including text, images, and videos, based on simple user prompts. However, these systems require extensive study of existing content to function effectively.

As of now, OpenAI has not provided a comment regarding the lawsuit. This represents the first such legal challenge in Canada, although there are multiple similar cases in progress within the United States, including a notable lawsuit filed by the New York Times against both OpenAI and Microsoft.

Interestingly, some media organizations have opted for collaboration with OpenAI instead of pursuing litigation. They have entered into agreements to be compensated for sharing news content that can be utilized in the development of AI systems. Among those that have forged licensing partnerships with OpenAI are The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and News Corp, which also publishes the New York Post. Additionally, partnerships have been established with other publications like The Atlantic, Germany’s Axel Springer, Prisa Media from Spain, France’s Le Monde, and the Financial Times based in London.