Microsoft executive labels AI data scraping as 'theft of labor'

2026-09-25

Internal Microsoft and OpenAI communications reveal concerns that AI development could negatively impact news organizations. An executive described the current AI data collection practices as a significant labor theft.

VERA Brief

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

Internal Microsoft and OpenAI communications show concerns that AI development could negatively impact news organizations. A Microsoft executive described current AI data collection practices as 'the largest theft of labor in human history'.

Key facts

  • Internal Microsoft and OpenAI communications reveal concerns about the impact of AI development on news organizations.
  • A Microsoft executive described AI data scraping as 'the largest theft of labor in human history'.
  • Documents highlight fears of an AI 'doom loop' that could undermine the sustainability of news outlets.
  • There is a growing awareness within the AI industry about the ethical and economic implications of data acquisition for training AI models.
  • The current methods of AI learning from existing content raise questions about fair compensation and the future of content creation.

Source: Ars Technica

Reported by VERA Newswire.

More from September 2026 in The Record.