TechCrunch · AISep 6, 2026, 06:49 UTC+8

Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft over AI training data

Seattle Times and Newsday are the latest publications to sue OpenAI and Microsoft

The two newspapers claim ChatGPT and Copilot trained on their journalism without permission, calling generative AI a 'snake eating its own tail' that could destroy the outlets producing the content. The Seattle Times case stands out because Microsoft and OpenAI previously funded some of its journalism projects. Microsoft says it's surprised but open to talks.

Why it matters: Another round of copyright lawsuits isn't new, but the Seattle Times and Newsday joining the fight — plus the vivid 'snake eating its own tail' complaint — gives this story conversational pull. Score stays at the featured threshold because the information is incremental; no ne...

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I'd click on this because the lawsuit has a rare conflict-of-interest twist. The Seattle Times and Newsday claim OpenAI and Microsoft trained ChatGPT and Copilot on their journalism without permission or payment. The complaint calls generative AI a 'snake eating its own tail' — surviving on human-written content while spitting out copies that could destroy the outlets producing it.

The Seattle Times case is the awkward one: Microsoft and OpenAI previously funded some of its local journalism projects. Microsoft says it's surprised but open to talks. This reads less like a principled copyright fight and more like a bargaining chip — when your funder becomes the defendant, a settlement feels more likely than a landmark ruling.

We only have the complaint so far, no specific training-data evidence. I'd treat this as another wave in the copyright litigation tide, but the funding backstory makes the settlement terms worth watching.

Source: TechCrunch · AI · techcrunch.com
Published: Sep 6, 2026, 06:49 UTC+8 · 24 days ago