The AI wars begin: Elon Musk says he may sue Microsoft/Open AU for ‘illegally using Twitter data to train its models’
- Musk lashed out after Microsoft cut advertising ties with social networking site
- Says software giant ‘illegally’ used his firm’s data to train its staff
- Microsoft is yet to respond to Musk’s allegations
Elon Musk says he’ll sue Microsoft after claiming the software giant ‘trained illegally’ using the social networking site’s data, amid a row about Microsoft’s refusal to pay Twitter’s new fees.
Musk issued the threat after it was revealed Microsoft had dropped Twitter from its advertising platform following a row over its refusal to pay Twitter’s API fees.
Responding to a story from the Twitter Daily News feed, Musk wrote: ‘They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.’
API stands for application programming interfaces, a type of software that allows for automated marketing.
Microsoft has yet to respond to Musk’s allegations or threat to sue.
Musk issued this threat to sue Microsoft on Wednesday afternoon over claims the firm illegally used Twitter data
Musk has frequently crossed swords with perceived enemies since taking over as boss of Twitter
Twitter’s API has long been a valuable source for academics, and free to access.
The API provides data on the kinds of conversations occurring on the platform, which helps researchers understand what the online world is talking about.
Since 2020, there have been more than 17,500 academic papers based on the platform’s data, Wired reported.
Musk, who bought Twitter in October vowing to make it profitable, announced in February that he was going to begin charging for access to the API.
The cheapest, Small Package, gives access to 50 million tweets for $42,000 a month.
Higher tiers give researchers or businesses access to larger volumes of tweets—100 million and 200 million tweets respectively—and cost $125,000 and $210,000 a month.
In response, Microsoft on Wednesday announced they will drop Twitter from its Microsoft Advertising plan next week.
Developing story, check back for updates…
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk