NYT publisher warns AI companies are ‘destroying independent journalism’

“Tech giants strip-mine news websites without permission or compensation. They repackage these stolen goods as their own, siphoning off the audiences and revenue that otherwise would go to the news organisations that created this work. And this happens not just once during the training process, but countless times every single day,” the NYT publisher added.

‘Too quiet, too passive and too fragmented in the face of abuses’

Sulzberger said that the news sector has been “too quiet, too passive and too fragmented in the face of abuses by the companies leading the AI revolution”, calling on other news organisations to raise their voice on the challenges the industry was facing due to the advancement of AI.

The NYT was the very first major news organisation to sue OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its copyrighted articles to build and power AI models, unleashing a wave of litigation by media organisations against AI startups.

He said that the AI giants were “consolidating their outsize control over our data and our attention” but were “failing to embrace a core responsibility that comes with this power – to ensure the public has access to trustworthy news and information”.

The NYT publisher further expressed grave concerns over the negative impacts of AI on the industry, stating that the world was rushing into a future where fewer reporters will be left to do the challenging work of uncovering original news.

“I fear we are careening toward a future with fewer and fewer journalists to do the expensive, difficult work of original reporting — going to places, talking to people, digging up information, covering important issues and events, providing context and analysis, investigating the powerful,” Sulzberger said. “A future where a crucial wellspring of a healthy society and a stable democracy — the truth, understanding and accountability provided by original journalism — continues to dry up.”