OpenAI is pushing back against efforts by major Indian media groups to join an ongoing copyright lawsuit, firmly denying claims that it uses their content to train its AI models. In a recent court filing, the Microsoft-backed AI firm stated that it does not scrape or reproduce content from Indian publishers, countering allegations brought forward by news agency ANI and a coalition of leading media houses.
The legal dispute began when ANI accused OpenAI of unauthorized use of its published content to train ChatGPT. Soon after, NDTV, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) joined the case, arguing that OpenAI was leveraging their content without licensing agreements or proper compensation.
These media organizations claim that OpenAI is benefiting from their journalism without formal partnerships, similar to those it has with global publishers. They argue that OpenAI’s AI models pull data from publicly available sources, potentially repurposing their work for AI-generated responses.
OpenAI, in its February 11 filing, denied these allegations, asserting that content from these Indian media groups has not been used in its AI training. The company further emphasized that licensing agreements are unnecessary, especially for content that is already freely available to the public.
Asserting fair-use compliance, AI models are trained using publicly accessible data. In contrast, collaborations with international publishers are mainly structured around content display within ChatGPT, rather than contributing to AI model training.
This lawsuit is not an isolated case. AI developers across the world, including OpenAI, are facing growing legal scrutiny over their methods of collecting and using data for model training. With high-profile lawsuits such as The New York Times case, the legal boundaries of AI’s dependence on copyrighted content are being tested, pushing the debate into new and uncertain territory.
The Indian media coalition claims that OpenAI’s actions mirror global patterns where AI firms allegedly extract content without proper authorization. However, OpenAI insists that its methods comply with Indian copyright laws, arguing that using publicly accessible information does not equate to copyright infringement.
India, a key player in the fast-expanding AI market, now stands at the center of a major legal battle. Just last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with the country’s IT minister during his visit to discuss AI policy and growth. While their discussions revolved around fostering AI innovation, the lawsuit brings to light a deeper concern as Indian media companies strive to protect their intellectual property in an era increasingly shaped by AI.
With the case still in progress, Indian media houses are pushing for stronger content protections, while OpenAI remains firm in its stance. The outcome could set the precedent for how AI firms interact with digital publishers in India and beyond. Whether OpenAI will be forced to negotiate licensing deals with Indian media or continue relying on publicly available data remains to be seen.
For now, the legal battle continues, highlighting the growing friction between AI innovation and traditional media rights in the digital age.