OpenAI and Anthropic may use investor funds to settle AI copyright lawsuits – FT
OpenAI and Anthropic are reportedly considering using investor funds to help cover potential multibillion-dollar settlements linked to ongoing AI copyright lawsuits, according to the Financial Times. Several lawsuits filed by authors, publishers, and media companies accuse major tech firms — including OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta — of using copyrighted materials without permission to train their AI models.
The report said OpenAI has arranged insurance coverage of up to $300 million through Aon for emerging AI-related risks, though some sources claimed the actual figure is “significantly lower.” Experts said such coverage is still far short of the amount needed to offset massive legal liabilities.
Aon’s head of cyber risk, Kevin Kalinich, told the FT that the insurance industry currently lacks “enough capacity” to adequately protect AI model providers. As a result, OpenAI has discussed self-insurance options, including setting up a captive fund to ringfence investor capital against potential future claims.
Anthropic, meanwhile, is also using internal funds to prepare for possible settlements. Last month, a U.S. federal judge preliminarily approved a $1.5 billion class-action settlement involving authors’ copyright claims against Anthropic.
Neither company has publicly commented on the report, and Reuters could not independently verify the details. The cases highlight the growing legal and financial challenges facing leading AI developers as governments and creators push back on data use practices.