The Trump administration entered the ongoing legal dispute between OpenAI and the New York Times by filing a brief in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday that backs the technology company’s use of copyrighted newspaper articles to train its artificial intelligence systems.
The Times filed suit in 2023, accusing OpenAI and Microsoft of unlawfully using millions of articles without permission to develop the chatbot. Several other news organizations have joined the legal action. While advisory briefs carry limited legal weight, the government’s support could provide momentum to tech companies facing similar claims from copyright holders including authors, publishers, music labels and news outlets.
In its filing, the US government framed the issue as a matter of national competitiveness, stating that maintaining a strong artificial intelligence industry is essential for retaining global leadership in the technology. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. emphasized that constraining AI development based on what the administration characterized as an incorrect understanding of copyright law could disadvantage the nation against foreign competitors. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick similarly told G20 officials at a meeting in North Carolina on Wednesday that countries should adopt fair use principles permitting AI companies to train systems on creative works while simultaneously protecting artists’ interests.
The central legal question in all pending cases concerns whether machine learning systems constitute fair use of copyrighted material by transforming it into new content. Two judges have previously issued conflicting rulings on this question. The government’s brief contends that AI training represents extraordinarily transformative use and notes that large language models are already facilitating scientific breakthroughs across multiple fields. The administration warned that restricting such development would impede creative and scientific advancement while harming American prosperity.
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