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AI scraping and ChatGPT threats revealed in legal briefs
The gist
Unsealed court documents show Microsoft and OpenAI staff internally called AI scraping 'the largest theft of labor in human history' and an 'existential threat' to publishers.
The filings surface in the New York Times' ongoing copyright suit.
How it unfolded
- Jan 2023Microsoft director of Applied Science Brent Hecht wrote an internal memo calling large models 'hoovering up' all their work 'an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions' and 'the largest theft of labor in human history'.
- Dec 2023The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement.
- Sep 1, 2026The Trump administration filed a statement of interest in the case arguing that AI training on news content falls within the bounds of fair use.