News Corp CEO Thomson signals action against AI firm

Robert Thomson

News Corp. chief executive officer Robert Thomson has signaled that the company is considering legal action against at least one generative artificial intelligence firm, reports John Buckley of Capital Brief.

Buckley writes, “In a nearly 2000-word memo to staff, Thomson shared further detail on the company’s approach to generative AI, which he claims has sparked a revolution and poses a serious threat to journalism. You can read the full memo here.

“The memo, obtained by Capital Brief, followed a Q&A session with News UK staff, where Thomson was asked why News Corp had opted not to take a similar approach to dealing with AI companies as The New York Times Company, which has moved to sue OpenAI.

“Thomson revealed that News Corp had considered joint action with the Times before it ‘reached for the publicity-seeking headlines’ and initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI in May. He mentioned that News Corp is now considering joint action against other companies.”

Read more here. News Corp. is the parent of The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch.com and Investor’s Business Daily.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.