The New York Times has launched a legal fight against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing their AI chatbots, ChatGPT and Copilot, of unfairly benefiting from the newspaper’s work. The lawsuit claims that millions of New York Times’ articles were used to train the AI tools without permission. This allowed the chatbots to imitate the newspaper’s voice and style.
The lawsuit argues that this unauthorized training poses several threats to the New York Times’ business model. Chatbots trained on their news stories can potentially create articles in the newspaper’s style. Readers might turn to AI for news summaries instead of subscribing to the Times. AI tools could also cut into the money that the newspaper charges other media outlets for use of their content. Additionally, ad revenue, which heavily depends on Web site traffic, could be impacted if readers shift towards AI news sources.
OpenAI disagreed with the lawsuit. It claimed its use of copyrighted material falls under fair use, a legal rule that allows for limited use of content without permission, but only for specific purposes like criticism or research. It further argued that its use of the articles meets the “transformativeness” requirement of fair use, as the AI programs created something new and different from the original work. Moreover, the company emphasized its opt-out mechanism for content creators, which offers them the choice to keep their work out of the AI training data.
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This legal battle between the New York Times and these technology giants marks a potential turning point in the changing world of copyright and AI development. The result will likely influence the media landscape and help set legal boundaries for how AI companies can use existing content.
《紐約時報》對OpenAI和微軟發起法律訴訟，指控其人工智慧聊天機器人ChatGPT和Copilot不當得利於《紐約時報》的著作。該訴訟指稱《紐約時報》的數百萬篇文章未經許可便被用來訓練那些人工智慧工具。這讓那些聊天機器人能夠模仿《紐約時報》的口吻和風格。
該訴訟宣稱這種未經允許的訓練對《紐約時報》的商業模式構成了多種威脅。用《紐約時報》報導文章訓練過的聊天機器人有可能會用該報的風格創作文章。讀者可能會轉而使用人工智慧以獲取新聞摘要，而不訂閱《紐約時報》。人工智慧工具也可能導致《紐約時報》向其他媒體機構收取的內容使用費減少。此外，如果讀者轉而投入人工智慧新聞來源的懷抱，嚴重依賴網站流量的廣告收入可能會受到影響。
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OpenAI反駁該訴訟。OpenAI聲稱其使用受版權保護的素材落在合理使用的範疇內，合理使用是一項法律規則，可在未經許可的情況下有限地使用內容，但僅限於評論或研究等特定目的。OpenAI進一步宣稱，使用這些文章符合合理使用的「轉化性」條件，因為該人工智慧程式創造了一些與原始作品不同的新東西。此外，該公司還強調其擁有內容創作者可選擇退出的機制，這使創作者可以選擇將自己的作品排除在人工智慧訓練資料之外。
《紐約時報》與這些科技巨頭之間的這場法律戰可能是不斷變化的版權界和人工智慧發展的轉捩點。結果可能會影響媒體情勢，且有助於設下法律界線，界定人工智慧公司如何使用現有內容。
What Did You Learn?
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1. What do we learn from the passage?
(A) OpenAI is working with Microsoft to train AI.
(B) Copilot has used more news articles than ChatGPT.
(C) The New York Times is considering withdrawing the lawsuit.
(D) How the legal fight turns out might change the news industry.
2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to “unauthorized” in the second paragraph?
(A) Updated. (B) Upgraded.
(C) Unapproved. (D) Unpublished.
3. According to the passage, how did OpenAI respond to the lawsuit?
(A) It decided to introduce a new policy.
(B) It called for more laws to define proper use.
(C) It said it would possibly sue the New York Times.
(D) It stressed that creators could choose not to share their work.
答案：1. D 2. C 3. D
Words in Use
1. launch vt. 發起；推出
Vivian decided to launch her own business after months of careful planning.
經過數月的縝密計畫，薇薇安決定開創自己的事業。
2. permission n. 許可，允許
Students need permission from their parents to go on the field trip.
學生需要家長的同意才能去校外教學。
3. imitate vt. 模仿
In the writing class, students are encouraged to imitate well-known authors.
寫作課上，學生被鼓勵臨摹知名作家。
4. unauthorized a. 未經許可的
The company was sued for unauthorized distribution of copyrighted software.
該公司因未經許可分享了受版權保護的軟體而挨告。
5. summary n. 摘要
? The book jacket includes a summary highlighting an interesting part of the story’s plot.
該書衣包含一段凸顯故事中有趣劇情的摘要。
Practical Phrases
1. benefit from... 受益於……
Small businesses can benefit from online sales to reach a wider customer base.
小型企業可受益於線上銷售，接觸到更廣的客群。
2. pose a threat to... 對……構成威脅
Rising sea levels pose a threat to coastal areas.
海平面上升對沿海地區構成威脅。
3. cut into... 減少……
The unexpected car repairs cut into our vacation budget.
意外的車輛修繕讓我們假期的預算減少了。
4. depend on... 依賴……
Plants depend on sunlight and water to grow.
植物依賴陽光和水來生長。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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