ANI Sues OpenAI for Alleged Unauthorized Use of Published Content in AI Training

Indian news agency ANI has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in a New Delhi court, alleging unauthorized use of its published content to train the ChatGPT AI chatbot. This move aligns ANI with a growing list of media organizations, such as the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune in the U.S., that have taken legal action against OpenAI for similar reasons.

The initial hearing occurred at the New Delhi High Court on Tuesday, where the judge directed OpenAI to respond to ANI’s allegations.

In its statement, ANI emphasized that “the court is required to decide the legitimacy of the use of publicly available proprietary content by AI platforms.” Additionally, in its court filing, ANI claimed that ChatGPT had removed “fabricated news stories” that were published under their media outlet.

The court filing contained emails sent by OpenAI’s lawyers in India to ANI saying the Indian news agency’s website had been placed on an internal block list since September, ceasing usage of its content in future training of AI models.

Nevertheless, ANI contends that their content remains embedded in ChatGPT’s database, asserting that “there is no programmed deletion.”

Responding to the lawsuit, an OpenAI spokesperson said: “We build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner protected by fair use and related principles, and supported by long-standing and widely accepted legal precedents.”

OpenAI and similar technology companies are currently facing an increase in legal claims from authors, artists, and music publishers who are accusing them of violating copyrights. OpenAI has consistently denied these allegations of infringement.

ANI’s filing further accused OpenAI of failing to secure a proper license or permission for using its original material. The news agency also addressed the competition issue, noting that OpenAI has other media partnerships that facilitate the distribution of licensed content.

The AI company has reportedly secured licensing agreements with organizations such as the Financial Times and the Associated Press for similar purposes. OpenAI mentioned in its statement that it has active collaborations with numerous media firms globally and is exploring additional agreements, including in India.

Reuters, which holds a 26% stake in ANI, stated that it does not participate in ANI’s business operations or decision-making processes.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 28^th ,2025.