Microsoft’s AI boss thinks it’s perfectly OK to steal content if it’s on the open web

Microsoft AI boss Mustafa Suleyman has been criticized for his belief that content published on the open web becomes "freeware" that anyone can freely use. This comes amid multiple lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging that they are using copyrighted online stories to train AI models. Suleyman's understanding of "fair use" has been challenged, with critics pointing out that copyright protection is automatic upon creation of a work in the US, and fair use is a legal defense granted by a court, not a social contract.

Suleyman also suggested that the robots.txt file, which specifies which bots can't scrape a website, might prevent content theft. However, critics argue that robots.txt is not a legal document but a social contract, and some AI companies, including Microsoft partner OpenAI, are reportedly ignoring it.

Key takeaways

Microsoft AI boss Mustafa Suleyman has been criticized for incorrectly stating that content published on the open web is "freeware" that anyone can freely copy and use.
Microsoft is currently facing multiple lawsuits alleging that it and OpenAI are stealing copyrighted online stories to train generative AI models.
Suleyman suggests that the robots.txt file, which specifies which bots can't scrape a particular website, might prevent people from taking its content. However, it's noted that robots.txt is not a legal document.
Despite many AI companies claiming that training on copyrighted content is "fair use", it's pointed out that fair use is not a social contract but a legal defense granted by a court after considering various factors.

Microsoft’s AI boss thinks it’s perfectly OK to steal content if it’s on the open web

Key takeaways

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