Internal Statements Challenge AI Fair Use Claims

2026-09-25

Statements from OpenAI and Microsoft personnel suggest internal acknowledgment of concerns regarding the use of copyrighted material for AI training. These comments may impact legal defenses based on fair use.

VERA Brief

AI-generated. Grounded in the article and its cited sources.

Internal statements from OpenAI and Microsoft personnel challenge the companies' fair use claims for AI training data. These comments, made in sworn testimony and internal emails, could impact legal defenses regarding the use of copyrighted material.

Key facts

  • Internal communications from OpenAI and Microsoft challenge their fair use assertions for AI training.
  • A Microsoft director described the practice as "the largest theft of labor in human history."
  • OpenAI's head of ChatGPT reportedly stated that the resulting products "are largely substitutive, period."
  • These statements were presented in sworn testimony and internal emails.
  • The internal views could undermine legal arguments for fair use of copyrighted content in AI training.

Source: The Decoder

Reported by VERA Newswire.

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