The chief executive of Yahoo has sounded the alarm over the rise of artificial intelligence, warning that AI’s use of copyrighted content could wipe out publishers unless tech companies change course.
Jim Lanzone, who runs the American online publishing giant, said Yahoo was one of the most heavily “pilfered” sources of material used to train AI models. He criticised the way AI systems scrape articles without permission, only to repackage them for users without linking back to the source.
“Unlike search, where the business model was an understood agreement – the engine aggregates and then sends traffic downstream to the publisher – the AI model takes content without consent. It’s like signing away your future existence,” Lanzone told reporters.
AI companies rely on vast quantities of data, including books, images and journalism, much of which is protected by copyright. Media groups argue this is an unauthorised takeover of their work that threatens their revenue. Several lawsuits are under way, including a high-profile case by The New York Times against OpenAI.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
