NYT Publisher Slams AI for Intellectual Property Theft, Warns of Existential Threat to Journalism

CNA, Marseille, June 1. A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, lashed out at artificial intelligence companies for 'brazenly stealing' intellectual property at the World News Media Congress in Marseille, France, today, warning that the future of journalism is under threat. According to AFP, based on the speech delivered by Sulzberger, 'AI companies have been able to hijack the public discourse space because of the original sin of brazenly stealing intellectual property on a scale never seen before.' He stated that 'tech giants are predatorily mining news website content without permission or compensation.' He added that the news industry's response to the encroachment by AI leaders has been 'too silent, too passive, and too fragmented.' Sulzberger, whose newspaper is currently suing ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, received a standing ovation. He expressed concern that AI companies are exerting excessive control over data and attention without assuming the responsibility of ensuring public access to trustworthy news. The 77th WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress is co-hosted by CMA Media and will continue until the 3rd.