New York Times Publisher: Journalism Faces Existential Threats from AI and Administration
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, warns that journalism is confronting existential threats from AI companies and the Trump administration's efforts to curtail press freedom.
In an interview with WIRED, A.G. Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times, said journalism is facing multiple existential dilemmas. One is from AI companies whose products depend on the very reporting they risk undermining. Another is from the Trump administration, which has escalated attacks on press freedom, including subpoenaing Times journalists over their coverage of a Qatari-donated jet intended for Air Force One.
The Times has been engaged in a nearly three-year-old lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, alleging illegal use of Times content to train AI models. The legal battle, costing over $20 million, is just one front in a broader fight for the future of journalism. Sulzberger noted that motions are still being filed regarding discovery requests.
Despite the Times' strong business performance—surpassing 13 million subscribers—Sulzberger believes the industry is under immense pressure. He called on news organizations to unite, even while competing fiercely. He criticized some media outlets for capitulating to administration pressure, saying they avoid pursuing sensitive stories and instead wait for larger institutions to break them.
The Times continues to invest heavily in journalism, deploying reporters to more than 150 countries last year, including over 70 journalists in Ukraine alone. Sulzberger argued that these expenditures, while not always financially justifiable in the short term, are essential for the public's right to know.
