OpenAI has confirmed discussions with government officials regarding its ongoing investigation into DeepSeek’s alleged misuse of AI model data. The company claims to have evidence that DeepSeek trained its models using information obtained improperly from OpenAI’s API.
Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, revealed in a Bloomberg TV interview that the company has been in talks with authorities about the matter.
The investigation has sparked criticism, with some accusing OpenAI of hypocrisy. The company is currently facing lawsuits from multiple publishers for training its AI models on copyrighted content.
However, OpenAI argues there is a key distinction between its practices and DeepSeek’s alleged actions. Lehane compared OpenAI’s model training to reading a book and learning from it, whereas he described DeepSeek’s methods as taking that book, putting a new cover on it, and reselling it as their own work.
This argument closely mirrors claims made by The New York Times in its lawsuit against OpenAI, where the newspaper alleges the company used its copyrighted articles without permission.
The legal battle highlights broader concerns over AI model training and data usage, as companies navigate ethical and legal challenges in the industry.
The investigation into DeepSeek continues as OpenAI seeks to protect its intellectual property while also addressing criticism over its own data practices. The outcome of this dispute could set an important precedent in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
