Perplexity, an AI firm, currently faces plagiarism accusations from a reputed media company. The firm accuses Perplexity of replicating and distributing its content without permission through AI-generated responses. They’ve issued a legal warning, marking them as a pioneering publisher in the fight against unauthorized AI content appropriation.
While neither party has commented, industry insiders speculate on its impact on content creators and the media. As regulations adapt to technology, content creators and AI firms could head towards increased friction. Some suggest revising content usage policies to mitigate legal disputes.
Perplexity, a $3 billion enterprise backed by the Jeff Bezos family fund and NVIDIA, has been castigated for alleged copyright violations and unauthorized use of content in its AI responses. Despite these allegations, Perplexity’s substantial investment base allows it to continue functioning and address the disputes.
Reports reveal that Perplexity’s crawlers were overlooking robots.txt files that restrict bot access to content. This led to an Amazon Web Services investigation into whether Perplexity breached web scraping rules.
Accusations of plagiarism against Perplexity
If proven accurate, Perplexity could face significant non-compliance penalties.
In response, Perplexity executives suggested a publisher revenue-sharing plan, the specifics of which remain unknown. They signaled their eagerness to collaborate, yet the exact distribution of profits is still under discussion. The proposal’s effectiveness remains undetermined amidst allegations.
The media firm’s CEO called on Congress for swift regulation. They urged AI companies like Perplexity to compensate publishers, citing the financial risks that an absence of regulation poses for many media outlets. They argued that such practices would sustain struggling media companies and set a favorable precedent for the industry.
Recently, three senators introduced The COPIED Act, aimed at protecting journalists, artists, and songwriters from potential AI misuse. Its objective is to uphold original content creators’ rights against potential exploitation by AI firms. Pending Senate approval, the law is seen as essential in preserving copyright laws in the digital age.
