Myers Park Hoofprint

The Myers Park High School Newspaper

Will O'Neal

Track Renovations Update

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Last year, The Hoofprint reported on the refresh that was soon to come to the Stuart B. Allen track. However, over the summer, the expected schedule was forced to be delayed. The original proposal had work on the track beginning in May, with plans to finish by the start of the Outdoor Track and Field season. The delay has impacted numerous fall sports that play at Gus Purcell Stadium, with uncertainty about the ability to host home Football and Soccer games hanging over the start of the respective teams seasons. 

The renovations were planned to start following the conclusion of the Women’s Soccer season, with work running over the summer. The original summer-based schedule was designed to allow for minimal impact to fall sports schedules, so workers would not have to navigate around students and sports teams. However, over the summer when it was time to begin work on the project, a string of issues occurred. First, funding originally approved for the track was taken out and diverted to other projects around CMS. “New money for the school fiscal year doesn’t start until July 1,” Myers Park Athletic Director Brian Poore said. “We had to wait until July 1 and new money to come in before we could get approved again.” To add to this, the track ended up costing more than expected due to work on the trees on the North end of the stadium and fencing and retaining walls around the complex, meaning the district had to allocate more funding to the project. Around the same time, CMS also moved to a new financial system, holding up the process for another couple of weeks. These delays meant that by August, work still hadn’t been started. “We told [the construction company], ‘we’ve moved everything off the schedule until for soccer and football through October. We want to be back for October 3rd (Homecoming).’” By mid-August, however, work still had not started on the two month long process of replacing the track. 

The project was forced to be put on hold, as moving the October home sporting events would be impossible considering the significant contribution which their ticket sales add to the athletic department budget. Work on smaller parts of the project, like clearing trees at the north end of the stadium, could occur during the fall sports season, but work on the actual track was forced to be delayed. 

Fall sports could run through the middle of November (depending on playoff performance by the Men’s Soccer and Football teams). “Best case scenario, the scoreboard comes December 1st, and they’ll start with the scoreboard, and then the track will come around the same time in December,” said AD Poore in an interview with The Hoofprint. While that schedule prioritizes installing the track as soon as possible with regard to fall sports, the winter installation poses another potential delay. “When they put that rubberized part on top, it has to be above 60 degrees. Then they have to paint the lines, which requires some warmer weather too,” noted Poore. While a stretch of 60+ degree days in mid-winter is certainly uncommon, they aren’t entirely impossible; last year, Charlotte had six separate three-day plus stretches after mid-December through the end of winter (March 20). This should bode well for an on-time completion of the project, albeit slightly after the start of Outdoor Track season. 

There have also been some additions to the plans. The current scoreboard in the stadium is nearly 25 years old; the renovations will include a new scoreboard that will include a video board. “With the video board, we are going to be able to do so much more with [the stadium],” said Principal Robert Folk in an interview with The Hoofprint. “It’s going to be fantastic to go along with our new track.” The work with the trees will clear out space for the new scoreboard and a nearly story-tall Mustang statue. The Mustang statue will even be able to blow green smoke from its mouth. “It will be a great addition to our whole complex,” Principal Folk remarked. “We have a lot of history at Myers Park, and our stadium is original to the school. It’s unlike any other stadium in CMS, and we want to keep it that way.”

While the project has been riddled with delays, student-athletes and coaches alike have expressed gratitude for the effort being put into the athletic facilities. “We are very grateful for this being able to happen, because it’s important for [the athletes], for safety… and it will also make our facilities nicer,” said Coach Ben Boyles in an interview with The Hoofprint. “Any type of project like this can have its frustrations and setbacks, but ultimately we are optimistic and looking forward to having the track that everyone at Myers Park can take advantage of.” The track renovations have been long-awaited, and they certainly haven’t been taken for granted. Student-athletes have been looking forward to the refresh for years, while current delays have certainly been frustrating for many, it seems that change is right around the corner for the Stuart B. Allen track. 

Mustang Athletes on the Next Level

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Photo contribution by Lexi Barry

Myers Park has a long history of creating athletes destined for greatness. Every year, a new crop of Mustang athletes graduate and head off to play at the next level of sports, and this year is no different. The Class of 2025 has six athletes, across five sports, headed to six different schools. 

Lucy Curtis will be headed to The Ohio State University to play Division 1 Field Hockey for the Buckeyes. The three-year varsity goalkeeper was a captain on this year’s team, which went 12-5 overall and undefeated in conference play. Curtis also plays for the Charlotte Ambush Field Hockey Club. She officially signed to the Ohio State team last November. 

Reid Heaton will also be moving to the next level of sports, as he committed last September to play Golf at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. “I’m excited to compete, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to play for a team that has such a good program, and try and do something special, win the first national championship in school history,” Heaton said. Last year, the Washington and Lee Men’s Golf program was one of the strongest in the nation, finishing the 2023-2024 season ranked 8th out of 297 teams, and Heaton will make an important addition to an already strong team. 

Standout Volleyball star Lia Skufca will be headed to Princeton University to join forces with one of the strongest teams in the Ivy League conference. Skufca played with the Mustangs for all four seasons of her high school eligibility, ending with a career high school record of 64-33. She won two conference championships with the team, in her junior and senior years, and will look to continue her winning traditions at Princeton, who won their 20th Ivy League conference championship last year. 

Cameron Bucci, a swimmer on the Myers Park Seastangs committed to swim at the University of Delaware this October. Bucci swam for Myers Park for all four years of his high school career, also swimming for the Aquatic Club of Mecklenburg (ATOM). Bucci has been one of Myers Park’s strongest swimmers and looks to continue his swimming career with a top-50 swimming program in the nation. 

Elizabeth Rudisill will play golf at Vanderbilt next year. The standout player who led the Myers Park team is also currently ranked third#3 in the American Junior Golf Association girl’s rankings. Rudisill has already made the cut for an LPGA event, competing in the FM Championship last September in Boston. At Vanderbilt, she will look to develop what has already proved to be an outstanding career and continue to dominate on the course. 

Emerson Sule with Women’s Lacrosse will head to Wingate University to continue her athletic career with the Bulldogs. Sule has been a standout with the team for three years so far and will be looking to finish her high school career strong with one final lacrosse season. With the Division II Bulldogs, she will look to help Wingate remain a strong perennial contender for the South Atlantic Conference Championships. 

Finally, Thomas Price will play Golf at Berry College in Georgia next year with the Vikings. “[I’m excited] to make the lineup and be a part of the team,” Price said. When asked about his favorite memory of playing high school golf, he reflected on his teammates and coaches. “Just the traveling with the team and making relationships, it’s less the golf, more the relationships you make. My relationship with Coach Lockwood, which has been really good to have.” Berry was one of the strongest Division III men’s golf programs last year and ended the season ranking 20th nationally. 

All of these outstanding Mustang athletes will look to continue their athletic careers at some of the strongest college sports programs in the nation. Their hard work and dedication throughout their high school sports careers has paid off, and they will all be valuable members of their respective teams. 

Note: After the time of this writing, Jared Lockhart (Jackson State University), Elijah Barber (Catawba College), and MauriAngelo Skanes (Emory and Henry University) all committed to play football at thier respective schools. This article does not include athletes who signed after 2/4/2025. We would like to congratulate all our fantastic Mustang athletes on their accomplishments.

The Panthers are…back?

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Photo contribution by Panthers Wire

There’s a new sense of hope in Charlotte regarding the Carolina Panthers. The team that floundered at the bottom of the league in the beginning of the season and looked to be in near-unrecoverable territory finished the season with a comparatively good record of 4-5. The strong finish to the season has rejuvenated both the Panther’s front office as well as their fanbase, and leaves the question… are the Panthers really back?

Just two weeks into the season, the Panthers decided to bench their field general in his second season in the league, Bryce Young. To many, the move signaled the end of the “Bryce Young Experiment”, and analysts flamed the Panthers for their decision to draft the former Heisman winner. On an episode of First Take in mid-September, Steven A. Smith even went as far as saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, JaMarcus Russell wasn’t even that bad, and you know how I feel about JaMarcus Russell. This is maybe the biggest bust in NFL history.” It wasn’t only analysts who felt this way; many fans of the organization had also given up on the team. With the former first pick of the NFL Draft benched little more than a season later, all signs pointed to a complete rebuild at the end of the season, continuing the team’s failures under David Tepper.

After Andy Dalton took over under center for the Panthers, there was little improvement. While the team managed to bag its first win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders, the team lost its next five games. The bad luck for the organization looked like it would continue after Dalton injured his thumb and was ruled out for the Panther’s week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos. The following week, the Panthers took on the divisional rival New Orleans Saints, however instead of suffering another blowout to the team that beat the Panthers 47-10 in week 1, Young led the team to its second win of the season. 

In the team’s final ten games of the season, Young led the team to four wins, beating the previously mentioned Saints by just one point, and the Giants, Falcons, and Cardinals in overtime. Close losses to both the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OT), some of the strongest teams in the league, helped give the organization some of the confidence that it needed. Rather than be blown out by these teams, which certainly would have happened early in the season, the Panthers were able to compete and win against the rest of the NFL. 

So what changed, and why should it give Panthers fans peace-of-mind this offseason? Firstly, the Panthers seem to have their franchise quarterback. At the end of the season, Bryce Young looked like an NFL quarterback; in his final three games, he had 10 touchdowns and no interceptions, the best in the league during that period. While Young has gotten most of the headlines following the closing of the 2024 campaign, head coach Dave Canales can’t be overlooked. So far, his leadership of the team has paid off, and his hire seems to be paying off. Speaking of Tepper, the owner seems to have taken a step back from trying to control the team, a major step forward for the organization. Since Tepper bought the team in 2018, the Panthers have had nine different starting quarterbacks and six different coaches. Both Tepper and Canales have expressed confidence in Young’s ability to lead the team, and a stable coaching staff and quarterback might be just what the organization needs to succeed. While the defense may have been the worst in the league, and possibly one of the worst in NFL history, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will return for the 2025 season. The defense was hit hard by injuries, but with stars Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson returning next fall, the Panthers should be in a much better position. 

The Carolina Panthers certainly have work to do, but the pieces seem to be falling into place for a successful 2025 campaign. Hope is back in Charlotte, and it seems like the Panthers might be poised to be back to being a playoff contender. 

Are American Sports Going International?

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When it comes to sports in America, there are 3 that come to mind. The MLB, NFL, and NBA are the powerhouses of American sports, but they are also beginning to have a growing international presence. With such a large potential for market expansion overseas, is it time for the quintessential American sports to go international? 

In 2023, the MLB averaged its lowest average viewership of the World Series ever, down nearly 2.5 million viewers since 2022. Viewership has been steadily declining since 2016, and the MLB has started to try to reverse the trend of their quickly declining fanbase. Other than the pitch clock, which was introduced in the major league last season, the MLB is growing its international fanbase. This has included the establishment of MLB International, which broadcasts games to international markets, and the scheduling of 4 international games during the 2024 season. Games have already been played in the Dominican Republic and Seoul, with scheduled games in London and Mexico City. The potential for market expansion in Japan, with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) averaging around 28.7 million total attendees over the course of a season, and a massive interest in baseball from the whole Japanese population. 

The NBA is also trying its hand at finding a market internationally. Apart from the Toronto Raptors, 2 games last season were played internationally, in Mexico City, Mexico, and Paris, France. There were also 2 preseason games in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Similar to baseball and Shohei Ohtani, the NBA is also parlaying its success through foreign players. “They’re driving such significant interest in their home countries and around the world. Last season, we saw TV viewership grow in several European countries, and it’s no surprise that those countries are consistent with where we’re seeing the great European players playing and driving interest in their region,” said Samantha Engelhardt, the NBA’s senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Innovation. With the momentum heading in the right direction, what is the NBA’s plan to capitalize on its newfound international success? According to Engelhardt, there are three parts. Global outreach to kids, more accessible live games, and sharper market focus. These strategies, paired with the star power they already have playing for them should, in theory, be a recipe for success. 

In the 2024 NFL season, 9 games will be played overseas, including the NFL’s first matchups in South America and Spain. One market, however, is still vacant from the 2024 schedule. Australia and New Zealand are now among the select few areas of the world that will not have an NFL game. “At this time we do not have plans to play a game in Australia but are firmly committed to finding more ways to serve our passionate and growing fanbase in Australia and New Zealand,” said NFL COO Damani Leech in an interview with Sports Business Journal. The Canadian Football League (CFL) has never found success in the US, but the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell thinks it might not be the same for the NFL. “I’m from Western New York and I spent a lot of time in Canada as a young kid. I have nothing but admiration for Toronto, I think it’s a great city. It continues to evolve; it continues to grow. It certainly could be a great city for an NFL team.” Although the awareness of football grows internationally, there are still a lot of hurdles for a potential expansion team. A lack of international athletes, time change issues, 4 different expansion teams required to maintain divisional equity, financial issues, and no international football culture all mean that the chances of a successful international team in the near future are slim. 

Three of the biggest American sports leagues are trying to go international. More international matchups, players, and maybe even teams seem to be on the horizon. If this trend continues, where will fans draw the line between a classic American league and an International powerhouse?

PCP: NASCAR

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Since its formation in 1948, the NASCAR Cup Series has been the pinnacle of American motorsports. The Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400 are all some of the most prestigious races in the world. Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, and Jimmie Johnson, are some of the most famous drivers to ever race in any series. NASCAR has it all – the culture, the racing, the history. 

Formula One drivers, supposedly “the best in the world,” have taken on the world of NASCAR multiple times, each to no avail. Daniil Kvyat, Jaque Villeneuve, and Kimi Räikkönen have all tried to win in NASCAR, but never found success. Kvyat’s best finish in the Cup Series is 36th, Villeneuve was only able to finish 22nd, and Räikkönen has a best finish of 29th. Räikkönen and Villeneuve are both Formula One World Champions, and neither could crack the top 20 against NASCAR drivers.

Not only does Nascar have the best drivers, they also have more races to watch. From now until November 10, you can turn your TV on Saturday and Sunday night and expect to see a race, with just a 2-week break in late July and early August for the Olympics. Formula One fans rejoiced when the FIA announced 24 races in 2024. These races are spread out over a longer period, leaving fans with many weekends without racing.

While speedway racing might be what NASCAR is most well known for, NASCAR has arguably the most diverse schedule of any racing series in the world. NASCAR races on superspeedways, speedways, short tracks, road courses, and street circuits. 

Through the different tracks, NASCAR drives a diverse product but also a more entertaining product for the viewer. Max Verstappen has won all but 6 of the last 28 F1 races. That means one driver has won 22 races – most of them in dominating fashion. The racing in Formula One since the 2022 season has been at best mediocre, and fans have had little to watch other than Verstappen’s Red Bull streaking to the front of the field. Formula One had 3 different winners in 2023, compared to NASCAR’s 15 unique winners in the 2023 season. F1 fans only saw a lead change every 31 laps, which equates to around 1 to 3 lead changes a race, while NASCAR had an average of 20. NASCAR also lets its drivers “drive”. Formula One is notoriously strict with its penalties, and it can hurt the on-track product. NASCAR allows its drivers to make contact and drive aggressively, which leads to more exciting racing. 

NASCAR is easy to experience and watch in person. At a Formula One race, a grandstand might overlook one, maybe two corners. You may not see an on-track overtake during the entire race. At most NASCAR races, however, almost the entire track is visible from the grandstands, meaning you can watch the racing happening all over the track. It isn’t just easier to watch – Formula One ticket prices range into the thousands of dollars, and all but three races are held outside the US. The average cost to attend a NASCAR race ranges from just $30 to $120, hundreds less than Formula One races. If you aren’t watching a Formula One race in person, many events are held on the other side of the world, meaning races start early in the morning or late in the afternoon, while most NASCAR races start mid-Sunday afternoon. 

NASCAR also has one of the richest histories in motorsports. From its grassroots beginnings running moonshine through the countryside and racing on dirt, NASCAR has an incredible heritage still apparent in its racing today. 

At the end of the day it is pretty simple, NASCAR has better drivers, more races, a diverse schedule, better racing, cheaper tickets, a better product, and a richer history. What’s not to love?

The Biggest Car Company You’ve Never Heard Of

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In the US, American auto reigns supreme. Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler are the heavyweights that have seemed for many years to be immortal. In other places around the world, however, a new story is beginning to play out. The international sales of American vehicles are starting to decline, and another world superpower is ready to replace the U.S. A previously dormant international player in the auto industry, China, is starting to take over the automotive world.

China is posing an ever-growing threat to the American auto industry. The U.S. has fallen from 4th to 6th in vehicle exports, behind both Mexico and South Korea;while the U.S. has slowed down vehicle exports, China has started to rise as an international contender. The transition from traditional gas-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to electric vehicles (EV), has started to favor Chinese automakers. Apart from export volume, Chinese manufacturers have pushed the limit for both vehicle production and pricing, something other global automakers like GM and Ford Motor have struggled to do. 

In 2019, faced with a company struggling to stay afloat, Elon Musk and Tesla turned to China, a country with more lenient laws that made factories easier to build and maintain. This helped Tesla stay afloat, but they weren’t the only startup to take advantage. Chinese-based BYD has quickly risen to success, riding off the back of the electric vehicle wave. Last year, BYD surpassed Tesla in worldwide EV sales, and BYD and other Chinese companies like NIO and XPeng have made rapid advances in battery technology, improving charging speed and energy density. China has spent billions of dollars on research, development and EV infrastructure, promising plans to build 1.2 million public charging stations by 2025. 

BYD isn’t just building cars. The company also manufactures lithium batteries, solar modules, electric-powered buses, trucks, and trains, as well as AI and transportation software. According to SNE Research, BYD has more than 10% of the global energy storage system market, and in January signed a contract to supply one of the largest energy storage projects in Chile. The company has also privately told investors that it is controlling as much as 30% of the US utility-scale solar market. 

Although BYD may be starting to pick up steam internationally, there are still barriers to the company ever becoming successful in the US. Chinese automakers have traditionally struggled to gain traction in the US, and only five cars sold in the US are built in China (The Lincoln Nautilus, Buick Envision, Volvo S90, Polestar 1, and Polestar 2). One of the largest obstacles to a Chinese company becoming successful in the US is protectionist laws and tariffs. Former president Donald Trump has predicted a “bloodbath” for the US auto industry if he loses the election this November and promised tariffs against Chinese automakers, stating “We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not to going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected.” The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 placed battery sourcing and manufacturing requirements in place to encourage domestic EV production, and according to Karl Bruer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, “The United Auto Workers and the U.S. auto industry have enough political power that no matter who is in the oval office, there will be an effort to protect it.” 

The most likely path that BYD or other Chinese companies could take to selling cars in the US would be similar to the way Japanese automakers like Toyota and Hyundai entered the US, selling their most affordable models before moving up to higher-end models. This process, however, took Japanese manufacturers around 50 years before reaching mainstream relevance. As of now, it seems unlikely that BYD will take a stab at the American market anytime soon, but the threat to the American auto industry remains. 

Drake Maye Draft Preview

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Photo Contributed by Drake Maye

Drake Maye has the chance to make history. The star quarterback of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, and before that, our very own Myers Park Mustangs, is one of the hottest NFL draft prospects this year. His incredible stats in both high school and college have proved him to be one of the most capable quarterbacks in the nation, and expectations are high as Maye prepares to take on the biggest stage in football. 

In high school at Myers Park, Drake Maye was a phenom, throwing for a combined 6713 yards and 86 touchdowns. Off the football field, he also played basketball, averaging a double-double in his junior year. His continued success led him to garner national attention from football powerhouses across the country, and he was named MaxPreps North Carolina football player of the year. Originally committing to SEC powerhouse Alabama, Maye ended up flipping his commitment to North Carolina, following older brothers Beau and Luke Maye, who both played basketball for the Tar Heels.

Redshirting his first year at UNC, Maye saw little of the field. He got his first action when starting quarterback Sam Howell was injured and was not able to play against Wofford. Maye shared the responsibilities with Jacolby Criswell, the other backup quarterback. Maye completed seven-for-nine pass attempts, which led him to 89 yards and his first collegiate touchdown.

At the start of the 2022 season, Maye and Criswell battled for the starting spot leading up to the season opener against Florida A&M. After winning the starting spot, Maye wasted no time in making a name for himself as a Tar Heel. His 4,321 passing yards over the course of the season broke the school single season record for passing yards, and also threw an impressive 38 passing touchdowns. He ended the season in 10th place for the 2022 Heisman Trophy voting. He was named the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and was First-team All-ACC. Heading into his final season at UNC, Maye was named Preseason ACC Player of the Year. Throughout the 2023 season, Maye yet again excelled, finishing with 3,608 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions on his way to being named to the Second-team All-ACC. 

Following the season, Maye elected to sit out the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, he is projected to be a top-10 pick and is one of the strongest quarterbacks this year. The first three teams in the draft – the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, and the Washington Commanders – are all possibly in the market for a QB. Experts around the league have added to the hype surrounding him, citing his athletic ability and arm strength. 

Maye opted to not work out at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, but still made an impression on teams with his authentic self, where he talked about his experiences growing up with two older brothers and his journey to the NFL so far. “The biggest thing with three older brothers, they were always ahead of the curve. I had to catch up and put in the extra work to get toward them. I’m one of those personalities that once I find something that I need to improve on, I’m harping on it until I see the results that end up coming true and feeling like that work’s paid off. I’ve got that personality where if I find out I need to improve in an area, I’m going to grind that area and just be honest with myself. That’s the biggest thing,” Maye said in an interview. 

Once the NFL Draft arrives, Drake Maye will be in a situation to thrive in the NFL. With the potential to become just the fourth NFL player to graduate from Myers Park, and the first since Omar Gaither. Gaither was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006. There are high expectations for the Carolina-bred quarterback.

The New York Times Sues ChatGPT

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The New York Times is suing Microsoft and OpenAI, accusing them of using millions of articles without permission to train their chatbots CoPilot and ChatGPT, as well as providing copyrighted information to users. The Times is the first major news outlet to sue Microsoft and OpenAI, claiming billions of dollars in losses. It wants the companies to destroy chatbot models and training sets that incorporate its material. 

Founded in 2015 by a group of entrepreneurs including Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Amazon Web Services, ChatGPT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing “safe and beneficial” artificial intelligence. The company has developed multiple language models and image generation models. In 2019, OpenAI announced the company was restructuring to include a capped profit arm, which allows the company to combine the benefits of a nonprofit with those of a for-profit company. The design enables the company to continue to follow its mission while raising capital and more closely resemble other AI startups. OpenAI has been valued at over $80 million by investors. In 2019, Microsoft began a partnership with OpenAI and has invested at least $13 billion into the company’s for-profit subsidiary. As part of the partnership, Microsoft’s supercomputers help power OpenAI’s research and Microsoft is also beginning to incorporate OpenAI’s technology into some of its products.

The lawsuit, filed on December 27, is based on material the Times says that Microsoft and OpenAI did not have permission to use. OpenAI and Microsoft have both responded,  saying that their use of the copyrighted material is “fair use”, a legal doctrine concerning the unlicensed use of copyrighted material. An OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement that the company is committed to working with media outlets to help them benefit from the technology and respect the rights of content creators.

The New York Times is not the first group to sue the tech giants. Previous lawsuits have been brought forward by David Baldacci, Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham and Scott Turow, and others. In June, more than 4,000 writers signed a letter sent to the CEO’s of multiple tech companies, accusing them of exploiting their work while training chatbots. Danielle Coffey, The News/Media Alliance president and CEO says “Quality journalism and GenAI can complement each other if approached collaboratively, but using journalism without permission or payment is unlawful, and certainly not fair use.” The Times and other media outlets have installed code on their websites to block OpenAI’s web crawler, GPTBot, from searching their websites for content. 

OpenAI also signed deals with two different news outlets, The Associated Press and Axel Springer. The deal with Axel Springer allows users of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to receive summaries of selected content from Axel Springer’s different media brands, as well as including links to the original articles. 

AI is considered to be a major threat to the news industry, and The Times is claiming the chatbots are threatening their livelihood by stealing billions of dollars of work by its journalists. The lawsuit provides examples from OpenAI’s GTP-4 provided articles hidden behind paywalls on the Times website. Articles include two separate Pulitzer Prize-winning pieces, “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek” and an investigation into New York City’s taxi industry that took 18 months to complete. Microsoft’s CoPilot has also output verbatim experts from Times articles. Chatbots have added to the struggle for media organizations to retain their audience and user base, and the Times states that AI threatens high-quality journalism, reducing viewers’ need to visit the publisher’s website and cutting down on advertising and subscription revenue. “These bots compete with the content they are trained on,” said Ian B. Crosby, one of the lead lawyers representing the Times. ChatGPT has also falsely cited sources in multiple instances, which is leading to growing concerns over misinformation.

The lawsuit remains ongoing, and according to media analyst Matthew Scott Goldstein, “This litigation is not going to be resolved any time soon, but when it is, it will shape the landscape and future of publishing.” Legal experts also expect that this will not be the last lawsuit against AI, and some expect the issue to make it to the Supreme Court.