Toronto, Ontario – A coalition of Canada’s major news outlets has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the developer of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, accusing the company of unlawfully using news articles to train its software. The group includes prominent organizations such as the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC, making this the first legal action of its kind in the country.

According to the media organizations involved, the use of their journalistic content by OpenAI for commercial purposes is deemed illegal and not in the public interest. OpenAI defends its actions by stating that its models are trained on publicly available data and adhere to fair use and international copyright principles.

In a statement to the BBC, OpenAI emphasized its close collaboration with news publishers, ensuring proper display, attribution, and links to their content within ChatGPT search results. The company also offers easy opt-out options for publishers who do not wish to be included.

The Canadian media coalition asserts in an 84-page filing that OpenAI disregards safeguards like paywalls and copyright disclaimers, which are designed to prevent unauthorized content copying. The group accuses OpenAI of regularly scraping substantial portions of content from Canadian media to enhance products like ChatGPT, breaching copyright and online terms of use.

Seeking punitive damages of C$20,000 per article allegedly used for unauthorized ChatGPT training, the news organizations aim for potential compensation amounting to billions of dollars. They are also requesting an order for OpenAI to share profits acquired from the use of their articles and an injunction to prevent future use.

While it marks the first legal action by Canadian publishers against OpenAI, this lawsuit echoes a similar case initiated in the US by the New York Times and other publishers. Last year, the Times accused OpenAI of erasing crucial evidence needed for trial, while the Authors Guild and notable writers like John Grisham also raised copyright infringement claims.

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal revealed that OpenAI’s valuation reached C$219 billion following a successful fundraising round from investors. The outcome of the lawsuit filed by the Canadian media coalition against OpenAI could have significant implications for the future interactions between AI companies and news organizations.