CNN has filed a lawsuit against AI startup Perplexity in a New York court, alleging that the company unlawfully used its copyrighted content to power its artificial intelligence products.
According to the complaint, Perplexity copied CNN articles, videos and images to generate content that is “identical or substantially similar” to the broadcaster’s original journalism. CNN argued that the AI firm’s practices infringe its intellectual property rights and threaten the commercial foundations of original news reporting.
The broadcaster has sought damages as well as a court order to prevent Perplexity from using its copyrighted material without permission.
In a statement, CNN said AI companies should not be allowed to profit from content produced by news organisations without authorisation or compensation. The media company further argued that such practices undermine the incentives that support independent journalism and original newsgathering.
Responding to the lawsuit, Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer told Reuters: “You can’t copyright facts.”
