Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch: Intellectual Property Tensions in the AI Era
Robert Thomson, CEO of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., recently found a clever way to bring Donald Trump back into the spotlight without directly referencing the ongoing lawsuit between them. The suit was sparked by a Wall Street Journal report examining connections between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, which News Corp published.
In the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report and a follow-up investor call, Thomson highlighted an ironic twist: Trump, an intellectual property (IP) holder, is now a victim of AI-driven content use. This comes even as Trump has supported major tech companies developing AI technologies. Earlier this year, he hosted OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison at the White House to announce Project Stargate, a $500 billion initiative focused on AI infrastructure spending in the U.S.
AI’s Impact on Publishers and Content Creators
Media companies like News Corp have negotiated selective agreements with AI firms to monetize the technology’s rise. However, they also pursue legal action when they believe their content has been used without proper authorization. News Corp’s lawsuit last fall targeted Perplexity, an AI firm backed by Jeff Bezos, claiming it trained its models on News Corp properties such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and HarperCollins publications.
Thomson’s statement during the earnings release emphasized the need to protect intellectual property in the AI era. He said, “The AI age must cherish the value of intellectual property if we are collectively to realize our potential.” He warned that undermining IP rights threatens America’s advantage in ingenuity and creativity, which rely on original thought rather than raw computing power.
Trump’s Books and AI: A Case of ‘The Art of the Steal’
Thomson pointed out that even the President of the United States is not safe from what he calls “blatant theft” by AI technologies. Trump’s books, including the still-popular 1987 title Art of the Deal, are being consumed by AI engines that profit from his ideas without compensating him, potentially reducing future book sales. Thomson quipped, “Suddenly, The Art of the Deal has become The Art of the Steal.”
During the investor call, Thomson questioned the fairness of creators having their work appropriated by AI without permission. He underscored the massive investments AI companies make in data centers, chips, and energy, but stressed they must also invest in legally cleared content to sustain a healthy content ecosystem. Thomson warned against allowing a “deeply derivative Woke AI” to dominate, which could lead to digital decay.
News Corp’s Strategy: ‘Woo and Sue’
Thomson described News Corp’s approach toward AI companies as a combination of collaboration and litigation. AI models require vast amounts of content to function effectively, so partnerships are essential—but so is protecting IP rights. “AI runs on IP,” he said plainly.
When asked about the impact of AI summaries from companies like Google siphoning web traffic from publishers, Thomson noted no significant issues had appeared yet. Still, News Corp remains vigilant in defending its authors’ and journalists’ intellectual property.
What Writers Should Take Away
- Intellectual property rights remain critical as AI technologies increasingly draw on existing content.
- Content creators and publishers face new challenges in protecting their work from unauthorized AI use.
- Legal frameworks around AI and IP are evolving, with companies balancing collaboration with enforcement.
- Understanding how AI interacts with creative content is essential for anyone producing original work.
For writers interested in learning more about AI’s impact on content creation and how to protect their work, resources like Complete AI Training’s prompt engineering courses can provide practical guidance on working alongside AI tools while maintaining creative control.
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