On October 8, 2026 USA Today Co. filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. The publisher says the AI company copied “hundreds of thousands” of its articles to train its models. The complaint asks a court to award more than $250 million in damages. Several local newspapers owned by USA Today, including The Tennessean, Indy Star and The Oklahoman, are listed as co‑plaintiffs.
What the lawsuit claims
According to the filing, OpenAI never asked for permission to use the content. The publisher argues that OpenAI’s commercial products are built on that unlicensed material, which it says “has done real and continuing harm” to its outlets. The suit accuses OpenAI of profiting from the articles while the news organizations receive no compensation.
Why it matters
If the court sides with USA Today, OpenAI may have to pay a large sum and could be forced to change how it gathers training data. That could affect how quickly new AI features reach everyday users, and it may lead to more restrictions on the content AI systems can learn from.
