OpenAI Denied Access to Major News Outlets
Several top new publications including The New York Times, CNN and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have blocked Microsoft-backed OpenAI from accessing their content to train their AI models.
NYT blocked OpenAI’s crawler, meaning the Sam Altman-led company can’t use the publication’s content to train its AI models, reports The Verge.
OpenAI’s GPTBot crawler can scan web pages to improve its AI models.
According to OpenAI, giving GPTBot access to your site can help AI models become more specific and improve their overall capabilities and security.
NYT updated its terms of service earlier this month to prohibit the use of content to train AI models.
CNN confirmed to Guardian Australia that it blocked GPTBot on its digital properties.
Some other news publications, such as the Chicago Tribune and Australian Community Media (ACM) brands, have also reportedly blocked OpenAI’s crawler.
NYT is also investigating legal options to sue Microsoft-backed OpenAI and protect the intellectual property rights related to its reporting.
The publication and OpenAI are in tense negotiations to reach a licensing agreement in which OpenAI would pay NYT to include stories in its AI tools, NPR reports.
However, the discussions have become so controversial that the magazine is now considering legal action.
A lawsuit against OpenAI would set off the most significant legal battle to date over copyright protection in the era of generative artificial intelligence.
