I Have Reactivated My New York Times Subscription

Summary

The author has reactivated their New York Times subscription as a gesture of support for human writers and the publication's legal battle against OpenAI and Microsoft over copyright infringement.

Abstract

The author, who has avoided TV news for 20 years to maintain mental equilibrium, has decided to reactivate their subscription to the New York Times. This decision comes after the Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of using the newspaper's content without permission, leading to significant financial losses. The author's subscription renewal is symbolic, serving as a token of support for the Times and the broader movement of human intelligence (HI) in the face of AI advancements. Despite the infrequency of their use, the author values reading news from selected sources and acknowledges the importance of backing human journalists in their legal fight against tech giants.

Opinions

The author views the consumption of news through selected sources as a healthier option for mental well-being compared to TV news.
Initially, the author chose to cancel their subscriptions to the New York Times and The Washington Post due to infrequent use.
The author was motivated to reinstate the New York Times subscription upon learning about the newspaper's lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, showing solidarity with the publication's stance on copyright protection.
The author believes that their modest financial contribution is a meaningful way to support the Times's legal endeavors and the human intelligence movement, despite its small scale in the context of the lawsuit's magnitude.

As token support for human writers everywhere

Having eschewed TV news 20 years ago (a toxic intrusion into my desired equilibrium), in a weak moment, I subscribed to the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Reading news — on my terms and from sources I select — is healthier for one’s mental state.

I pop onto both sites when curious about a specific issue. Because my use is infrequent, I decided to cancel both despite the meager cost of maintaining subscriptions.

After learning, however, of the recently filed NYT’s massive case — alleging billions of dollars in losses — against OpenAI and Microsoft for piracy, copyright violation, and use of its journalists’ work without permission, I decided to reinstate my subscription.

Not that my paltry $4 monthly will make a difference. Nevertheless, it represents my token support, not only for the Times’ Goliathan battle, but also for the Medium Human Intelligence (“HI”) movement.

HI/ HUMAN INTELLIGENCE/ AI V HI/ NEW YORK TIMES

I Have Reactivated My New York Times Subscription

As token support for human writers everywhere

The Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft Over A.I. Use of Copyrighted Work

Millions of articles from The New York Times were used to train chatbots that now compete with it, the lawsuit said.