Microsoft Executive Called AI Training 'Largest Theft of Labor'

Internal criticism surfaces in copyright battle

A Microsoft executive described the training of artificial intelligence models as the "largest theft of labor in human history," according to court documents unsealed Thursday in the New York Times copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI.

The same executive made a similar characterization in another instance documented in the legal brief, calling AI training "an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions," according to the filing first reported by The Washington Post.

The quotes appeared in a legal brief filed by the New York Times as part of its ongoing copyright infringement case against the two technology companies. The newspaper alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft used its copyrighted content without permission to train large language models that power AI systems like ChatGPT.

Why it matters

The internal comments reveal tension within Microsoft itself over the methods used to train AI models — a practice that has drawn scrutiny from publishers, artists, and other content creators who argue their work was used without consent or compensation. When a senior executive at one of the world's leading AI companies characterizes the training process as "theft," it underscores the unresolved legal and ethical questions surrounding how generative AI systems are built. These statements could prove significant as courts weigh whether current AI training practices constitute fair use or copyright violation.

Copyright battle intensifies

The New York Times lawsuit represents one of the most prominent legal challenges to the AI industry's training practices. Publishers and content creators have increasingly questioned whether AI companies can legally use copyrighted material to train commercial systems that may eventually compete with the original content sources.

Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and integrated its technology across Microsoft products, including the Bing search engine and Office productivity suite. The partnership has positioned Microsoft as a leader in the race to commercialize generative AI, even as questions about training data persist.

The unsealed documents provide a rare glimpse into internal discussions at major technology companies about the legal and ethical dimensions of AI development. While companies publicly defend their training practices as transformative fair use, the newly revealed comments suggest more ambivalence behind closed doors.

Details about the executive's identity and the context of the statements were not included in the available court documents. Neither Microsoft nor OpenAI immediately responded to the characterizations.

The Washington Post first reported these details from the unsealed court filing.