In a surprising turn of events, Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of the contentious startup Perplexity AI, has extended an offer to assist The New York Times during its ongoing tech workers' strike.
This unexpected proposition comes on the heels of a legal threat from the Times, accusing Perplexity AI of "unlawful use" of its articles.
According to The New York Post, Srinivas' offer was made in response to a post by Times publisher AG Sulzberger on a social media platform, X. Sulzberger's post sought to reassure staff that the strike would not hinder the publication's Election Day coverage. Srinivas responded, "Hey AG Sulzberger @nytimes sorry to see this. Perplexity is on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election. DM me anytime here."
However, Srinivas' offer was met with criticism, with many viewing it as an attempt to undermine the 600-strong Tech Guild's strike, which commenced a day before the election. In response to the backlash, Srinivas clarified, "To be clear, the offer was not to 'replace' journalists or engineers with AI but to provide technical infra support on a high-traffic day."
A spokesperson for Perplexity directed The Post to Srinivas' comments on X. The Times and the Times Tech Guild have yet to comment on the situation.
Critics of Srinivas' offer have been vocal. New York-based reporter Andy Hirschfeld commented on X, "Its pretty gross to suggest this but these AI guys really dont fundamentally understand the damage theyre doing to key institutions so its quite on brand." Another user accused Srinivas of "disgusting bootlicking behavior."
This incident follows a cease-and-desist letter sent to Perplexity AI by the Times' lawyers last month, demanding that the startup cease using its content. The letter stated, "Perplexity and its business partners have been unjustly enriched by using, without authorization, The Timess expressive, carefully written and researched, and edited journalism without a license."
The Times' legal threat was followed by a lawsuit from The Post and Dow Jones, both subsidiaries of News Corp, accusing Perplexity of copyright infringement. The companies stated in their federal lawsuit, "Perplexity is a generative artificial intelligence company that claims to provide its users accurate and up-to-date news and information in a platform that, in Perplexitys own words, allows users to Skip the Links to original publishers websites."
Meanwhile, members of the Tech Guild resumed their picketing outside the Times offices in Midtown Manhattan. The union stated on X, "We know this is a hard day to be on strike for our members but we want to be clear: We are here because of the decisions of @NYTimes management."
A Times spokesperson told The Post, "We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority."
The unfolding situation between Perplexity AI, The New York Times, and the Tech Guild raises questions about the intersection of technology, journalism, and labor rights. As the strike continues, the role of AI in journalism and the implications of its use remain a contentious issue.
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