Can the New York Times Save Journalism From Our AI Overlords?
The New York Times is pressing forward with its copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, having spent over $20 million on the case so far. Publisher A.G. Sulzberger has signaled the organization intends to see the litigation through, making it one of the most consequential legal challenges to how AI companies use published content for training.
Why this matters: This case is really about who pays for the raw material that makes AI work. OpenAI and Microsoft built products worth billions, in part by training on work that journalists and publishers spent real money producing. The Times is arguing that is not free. If they win, it forces AI companies to negotiate or pay for training data. If they lose, it signals that almost any published content is fair game. Either outcome shapes how AI gets built from here — and who gets to profit from it.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · AI governance · Policy
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