The Trump administration has formally supported OpenAI in a lawsuit initiated by the New York Times, filing a brief that advocates for the use of copyrighted writing to train artificial intelligence. This marks the first time the US government has intervened in the growing legal disputes concerning AI and copyright.
The New York Times, joined by other newspapers, alleges that OpenAI and its primary financial backer, Microsoft, used millions of its articles without authorisation to train OpenAI's popular chatbot. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2023.
In a brief submitted to a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, the US government stated its strong interest in developing a robust and competitive AI industry. It argued that constraining large language model (LLM) development due to a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would hinder creative and scientific progress, as well as American prosperity.
US associate attorney general Stanley Woodward Jr stated that "AI dominance is critical to promote national security, prosperity, and economic mobility for all Americans." US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick also told G20 officials that countries should embrace fair use for AI training while protecting artists.
Copyright owners, including authors, publishers, music labels, and news outlets, have filed numerous lawsuits against tech companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms, claiming their material is misused without compensation for AI training.