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Media Giants Take Aim at AI Startup Perplexity

A lawsuit filed on Monday by Dow Jones and the New York Post accuses Perplexity AI of engaging in widespread copyright infringement. The media outlets claim that Perplexity’s search tools, which provide instant answers to users’ questions along with sources and citations, rely heavily on their copyrighted content without permission or payment.

The Crux of the Issue: Retrieval-Augmented Generation

At the heart of the dispute is Perplexity’s use of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), an AI technique that draws upon a vast database of information to generate answers to users’ queries. Dow Jones and the New York Post allege that this database is comprised of massive quantities of their copyrighted material, which is used without their consent.

A Pattern of Behavior?

This is not the first time Perplexity has faced accusations of plagiarism. Earlier this month, the New York Times sent the company a cease and desist notice, demanding that it stop using the newspaper’s content for generative AI purposes. Forbes and Wired have also raised concerns about Perplexity’s use of their content.

A Attempt to Address Concerns

In response to these criticisms, Perplexity has launched a revenue-sharing program aimed at addressing some of the concerns put forward by publishers. However, Dow Jones and the New York Post remain unsatisfied, and are seeking a court order to stop Perplexity from using their news articles as the basis for providing answers to questions.

What’s at Stake?

The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the use of AI in media and publishing. If Dow Jones and the New York Post are successful, it could set a precedent for other media outlets to take action against AI startups that rely on their copyrighted content. As the media landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the tension between traditional media outlets and AI-powered newcomers is only likely to intensify.