CNN sues Perplexity over ‘verbatim’ copycat articles

CNN has filed a lawsuit against the startup Perplexity, claiming that the company's AI tools generate "verbatim" copies of its work. As reported by The Verge, the lawsuit was filed in a New York court on Thursday. The legal action targets Perplexity, which offers an AI "answer" engine.

The lawsuit contains specific allegations regarding how Perplexity handles CNN’s content. In addition to claiming that the AI tools produce "verbatim" copies of articles, the suit alleges that Perplexity provides users with information that is locked behind CNN's subscription. This suggests that the startup's technology is accessing and distributing content that is meant to be exclusive to paying subscribers.

The filing highlights the ongoing conflict between news publishers and AI companies regarding intellectual property. By taking the matter to a New York court, CNN is challenging Perplexity's ability to use its content without authorization. The lawsuit asserts that the AI engine is effectively bypassing the subscription model to serve restricted information to its users.