The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI, accusing the company of illegally copying, distributing, and displaying millions of its articles without permission to power its AI-driven products. The case has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
According to the complaint, Perplexity’s AI systems allegedly scraped large volumes of content from the Times’s website and repackaged it into AI-generated responses for users. The newspaper claims this practice allows users to consume its journalism without visiting the original website, thereby harming subscriptions, advertising revenue, and potential licensing opportunities.
The lawsuit alleges that Perplexity used automated tools and bots to access and collect content from nytimes.com, even after being informed that such access was unauthorized. The Times claims some AI-generated responses closely resembled original articles or provided detailed summaries that replaced the need to read the original reporting.
In addition to copyright infringement, the newspaper has raised trademark-related claims, stating that Perplexity’s platform sometimes presents inaccurate or fabricated information while displaying the New York Times name, potentially misleading users into believing the content is officially associated with the publication.
A spokesperson for The New York Times said the lawsuit is aimed at protecting the value of independent journalism and ensuring that AI companies do not exploit high-quality reporting without consent or compensation. The newspaper is seeking financial damages and a permanent injunction to prevent further use of its content.
Perplexity AI, founded in 2022 and co-founded by Aravind Srinivas, is an AI-powered “answer engine” that summarizes information from across the web. The company has previously stated that it works with publicly available content and provides citations, while claiming to respect legal and ethical boundaries.
This lawsuit is part of a broader wave of legal action by news publishers against AI companies, as media organizations increasingly challenge how generative AI tools collect and reproduce copyrighted material. Several publishers have already filed similar cases, making this a pivotal moment for the future regulation of AI-generated content.
Legal experts say the outcome of the case could have significant implications for the AI industry, potentially shaping how AI systems access data, summarize news, and compensate content creators. The case is expected to be closely watched as courts continue to define the legal boundaries between journalism and artificial intelligence.