The war between journalism and artificial intelligence flares up again: major American newspapers accuse «Perplexity» of profiting off journalists’ sweat and threatening the future of a free press.
Article contents:
Introduction
The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune have filed lawsuits against Perplexity, stating that the AI search startup is copying and distributing their exclusive content, in the latest episode of legal actions against artificial intelligence developers.
Lawsuit claims
The New York Times complaint, filed on Friday, states that Perplexity’s “widespread illegal copying and distribution” threatens the newspaper’s reputation and “hinders the ability of a free press to continue playing its role in supporting informed citizens and a healthy democracy.” The lawsuit filed by the Tribune on Thursday also accuses the company of endangering the newspaper’s future by “illegally profiting from the trust the Chicago Tribune has earned over time.”
Perplexity’s rapid rise
Founded in 2022, Perplexity has emerged as one of the fastest-growing AI startups, positioning itself as a direct competitor to Google. The San Francisco-based company was valued at $20 billion in a September funding round and is expanding its enterprise tools and paid subscriptions amid rising demand for AI search alternatives.
Global legal context
These lawsuits follow actions by two media companies owned by the Berlusconi family, which filed a lawsuit against Perplexity in Rome, accusing it of using their copyrighted films and television programs without permission to train its systems, marking the first case of its kind in Italy.
Company response
A Perplexity representative stated that tension between content creators and technology is not new. Jesse Dwyer, the company’s head of communications, commented: “Publishers have been suing new technology companies for a hundred years, starting with radio, television, the internet, social media, and now artificial intelligence. Fortunately, it has never worked, otherwise we’d be talking about this via telegraph.”
FAQs
What is Perplexity accused of?
Using newspaper articles to train artificial intelligence and summarize news without payment or permission.
How much is Perplexity valued at?
Around $20 billion, and it is considered a strong competitor to traditional search engines.
How does the company defend itself?
It says this is a recurring historical dispute with every new technology, and that progress should not stop.
