News Outlets Sue Perplexity AI for Copyright Infringement

The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post's parent company, News Corp, have filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI. They claim the Jeff Bezos-backed startup copied their news articles without permission. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, accuses Perplexity of using copyrighted material to answer users' questions through their AI chatbot. News Corp wants Perplexity to stop using their content and destroy any databases that include it. Perplexity AI, founded in 2022, offers an AI-powered search engine that aims to challenge Google. It reached 10 million monthly active users this year and is valued at around $1 billion. The company is currently seeking more funding, aiming for a valuation of at least $8 billion.

News Corp's chief executive, Robert Thomson, criticized Perplexity for not compensating writers and publishers for their work. He also mentioned that Perplexity encourages users to "skip the links, " suggesting they want to avoid proper attribution. Earlier this year, Perplexity was accused of copying content from CNBC and Forbes without payment or attribution. Recently, the New York Times sent a "cease and desist" notice to Perplexity for using their content. Since the rise of ChatGPT, publishers have been concerned about chatbots that use internet information to create summaries. News Corp has a deal with OpenAI to share news content for training purposes and answering user questions. Thomson stated that News Corp would rather collaborate than sue, but they must protect their journalists and content integrity. He added that Perplexity is not the only AI company abusing intellectual property.

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