Microsoft AI CEO claims any content published online is "freeware" to help train AI — and people are not happy

generative ai business use
(Image credit: Shutterstock / thanmano)

Microsoft's head of AI has sparked outrage by claiming all publicly available information used to train AI models as “freeware.”

Speaking in an interview with CNBC at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI attempted to differentiate between openly accessible web content and copyrighted material explicitly protected by publishers.

However, he also acknowledged the complexity surrounding content that publishers specifically protect from scraping.

Should AI use content published online for training?

During the broad discussion covering the current state of AI technology, its potential impact on various industries and society, the challenges and concerns surrounding its development and the role of AI in the future, Suleyman also emphasized the need for responsible development and governance.

The conversation delves into the debate surrounding open source and closed-source AI models, with Suleyman advocating for cooperation rather than an adversarial approach when it comes to international development, particularly with regard to China.

However, regardless of where AI models are trained, content creators have argued that their intellectual property is being exploited without compensation, with many suggesting that the continued unauthorized use of their work threatens their livelihoods and, to a certain degree, the integrity of generative AI.

Suleyman’s statement that the legal boundaries of AI model training are still unclear is reflected in ongoing court cases. Shortly after the discussion, the Center for Investigative Reporting filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its major investor, Microsoft, for using the nonprofit’s content without permission or compensation.

The body’s CEO, Monika Bauerlein, stated: “OpenAI and Microsoft started vacuuming up our stories to make their product more powerful, but they never asked for permission or offered compensation, unlike other organizations that license our material.”

While Microsoft faces ongoing scrutiny over its handling of data for AI, it has at least offered protection for users of its GenAI tools to protect them from any copyright cases.

An OpenAI spokesperson told us: "We are working collaboratively with the news industry and partnering with global news publishers to display their content in our products like ChatGPT, including summaries, quotes, and attribution, to drive traffic back to the original articles. A component of the partnerships is the ability to leverage publisher content using various machine learning and training techniques to help us optimize the display of that content and make it more useful to users."

TechRadar Pro asked Microsoft to comment on the recent lawsuit, but we did not receive an immediate response.

More from TechRadar Pro

TOPICS
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

Read more
Make It Fair campaign on phone screen
UK creative industries launch ‘Make it Fair’ campaign against AI content theft
Zuckerberg Meta AI
Meta purportedly trained its AI on more than 80TB of pirated content and then open-sourced Llama for the greater good
A phone showing the DeepSeek app in front of the Chinese flag
OpenAI says DeepSeek used its models illegally, and it has evidence to prove it, new report claims
ChatGPT on smartphone and desktop.
Microsoft claims its servers were illegally accessed to make unsafe AI content
A person holding out their hand with a digital AI symbol.
DeepSeek kicks off the next wave of the AI rush
AI Education
This AI tool helps content creators block unauthorized scraping and manage bot interactions
Latest in Pro
Racks of servers inside a data center.
Modernizing data centers: an efficient path forward
Dr. Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage Product Line
Why AI commonization is so important for business intelligent transformation and what Huawei’s data storage has to offer
Wix automation
The world's leading website builder aims to save businesses time with new tool
China
Juniper patches security flaws which could have let hackers take over your router
Hands typing on a keyboard surrounded by security icons
The psychology of scams: how cybercriminals are exploiting the human brain
Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
GitLab has patched a host of worrying security issues
Latest in News
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)
Wix automation
The world's leading website builder aims to save businesses time with new tool