Eight newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the tech companies illegally used copyrighted articles to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models.

The newspapers claim that millions of their articles were used without permission to develop commercial AI products like ChatGPT and Copilot. The lawsuit accuses Microsoft and OpenAI of disregarding journalists’ and publishers’ efforts and legal rights, and of profiting from their work without permission.

The newspapers also claim that the AI systems have reproduced their content, sometimes with slight modifications, and have even attributed inaccurate reporting to them, damaging their reputations and spreading disinformation.

The lawsuit targets OpenAI and Microsoft’s individual AI models, as well as their close partnership, which has raised regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft has invested billions in OpenAI, and the two companies have faced criticism for their handling of copyrighted content.

Other news organizations have taken a different approach, striking licensing deals with OpenAI and Microsoft. The Financial Times, Associated Press, and Axel Springer have all agreed to allow their content to be used in AI responses.

OpenAI responded to the lawsuit by stating that they take care to support news organizations and are engaged in partnerships and conversations to explore opportunities and address concerns.

They see potential for AI tools to enhance the news experience and deepen publishers’ relationships with readers. Microsoft declined to comment on the lawsuit.