Top AI Executives Admit Industry Relies on Stolen Intellectual Property

A recently unsealed court document has revealed that top AI executives have made damning admissions about the industry's reliance on stolen intellectual property. The motion, filed by the New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft, quotes Microsoft director of applied science Brent Hecht as saying the AI buildout is 'the largest theft of labor in human history.'

Hecht's statement was used to argue that the two companies' use of copyrighted articles without permission is not protected under fair use. The NYT accuses them of copying millions of their own articles in entirety to train AI products meant to compete with traditional news outlets.

OpenAI cofounder and president Greg Brockman also made an admission, saying publishers face an 'existential threat' from generative AI that are 'largely substitutive, period.'

The case began in 2023 and is expected to continue until at least 2027, with the presiding judge yet to decide whether to allow it to proceed to trial.