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The Washington Post reports that a legal brief filed by the New York Times and unsealed on Thursday contains quotes from a Microsoft executive describing the training of artificial intelligence models as the 'largest theft of labor in human history' and 'an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions.'
According to The Washington Post, a legal brief filed by the New York Times in its copyright case against Microsoft and OpenAI was unsealed on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The document contains statements from a Microsoft executive regarding the process of training artificial intelligence models.
The executive is quoted in the brief as calling AI training the 'largest theft of labor in human history.' In a separate instance within the same document, the executive described the practice as 'an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions.'
The article notes that these quotes were part of the legal filings in the ongoing copyright dispute. The Washington Post identifies the source of the information as court records, specifically the unsealed legal brief.
تفاصيل المصدر: washingtonpost.com ↗
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This disclosure provides rare, direct evidence of internal industry sentiment regarding the ethical and economic implications of AI training data. It complicates the public narrative of AI as a purely beneficial innovation by highlighting significant internal concerns about labor displacement and intellectual property rights. The quotes may influence ongoing legal proceedings and public policy debates surrounding AI regulation and copyright law.
The revelation of such strong language from a major tech company executive is significant because it contrasts with the typical public messaging of AI companies, which often emphasizes innovation, efficiency, and economic growth.
These quotes provide concrete evidence that internal stakeholders at Microsoft may have serious concerns about the ethical implications of AI development, particularly regarding the use of copyrighted material and the impact on human labor.
This development is relevant to the broader debate on AI regulation, as it suggests that even within the industry, there is recognition of the potential negative externalities of current AI training methods.
The quotes may be used by plaintiffs in the copyright case to argue that the defendants were aware of the harmful nature of their actions, potentially impacting the legal outcome and future AI industry practices.
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Why can ethical evaluation not be reduced to one model score?
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Monitor the New York Times v. Microsoft and OpenAI trial for further unsealed documents and how these quotes are used in court arguments. Watch for reactions from Microsoft and OpenAI executives and potential shifts in AI industry advocacy regarding labor and copyright.
Legal analysts will likely examine how these quotes are utilized in the New York Times v. Microsoft and OpenAI trial, particularly in arguments regarding willful infringement or knowledge of harm.
Microsoft and OpenAI may issue statements addressing these internal comments, potentially clarifying the context or distancing themselves from the specific language used.
Policymakers and AI ethicists may cite these quotes in discussions about the need for stricter regulations on AI training data and labor practices.
Further unsealing of documents in the case could reveal additional internal communications that provide more context on how Microsoft and OpenAI view the ethical and legal risks of AI development.