Key facts
- News Corp reported a decline in digital subscriptions in Australia.
- The decline reverses recent growth in Australian digital subscriptions.
- CEO Robert Thomson criticized AI models for using copyrighted content.
- Thomson described AI-generated content as 'slop'.
- Thomson accused AI developers of 'pilfering' copyrighted content.
- News Corp plans to pursue legal action against AI companies.
- The legal action will target entities using content without compensation.
News Corp has reported a decline in its digital subscriptions within Australia, marking a reversal of the growth observed in recent periods. This downturn comes as CEO Robert Thomson publicly condemned the use of copyrighted content by artificial intelligence models. Thomson characterized the output of these AI systems as 'slop' and accused them of 'pilfering' intellectual property without compensation. In response to this issue, News Corp intends to pursue legal action against companies that utilize its copyrighted material without authorization. The company's stance highlights a growing concern among media organizations regarding the uncompensated use of their content by AI developers.