Aravind Srinivas’s Perplexity AI sued by New York Times for copying their content

perplexity

Perplexity, the AI “answer engine” started by Aravind Srinivas, has found itself in serious trouble. The New York Times has sued the company, accusing it of copying the newspaper’s work and showing it to users as if it were Perplexity’s own content.

The lawsuit, filed in a New York court, says Perplexity’s AI often produces answers that are either identical to New York Times articles or extremely close to them. In simple terms, the Times says Perplexity took its stories, repackaged them through AI and used them to attract users without permission.

According to the Times, Perplexity’s systems also scraped its website even after being told to stop. The newspaper says it sent multiple warnings and cease-and-desist notices over the last year, but Perplexity continued to pull information, including material that sits behind a paywall. The lawsuit also claims that Perplexity ignored website rules that clearly state which pages can and cannot be accessed by bots.

This is not the first controversy for Perplexity. Reports from Forbes and Wired earlier this year showed that the AI tool sometimes delivered almost full copies of news stories from several outlets, even when those stories were meant for paying subscribers. The Chicago Tribune filed a similar copyright case against Perplexity just one day before the Times sued.

The New York Times argues that this behaviour harms its business. If readers can get Times reporting for free through an AI tool, they may not visit the website, subscribe, or buy the newspaper. The lawsuit says this takes away revenue that rightfully belongs to the Times.

The publication is asking the court for damages and a permanent block that would stop Perplexity from using its content without permission. Perplexity has not responded publicly to the lawsuit.

The case comes at a time when many news organisations are worried about how AI models gather information. The Times also sued OpenAI in 2023 for similar reasons before later signing a licensing deal with Amazon to use its content legally.

As more publishers push back, Perplexity’s case could become another key moment in the ongoing struggle between newsrooms and fast-growing AI companies.