The BBC has sent a legal warning to Perplexity, a United States-based Artificial Intelligence startup, alleging that it has reproduced BBC news content ´verbatim´ without authorization. The broadcaster´s letter, addressed to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, claims the company violated copyright laws and the BBC´s terms of use by using and distributing BBC material without permission. The BBC is demanding that Perplexity immediately stop using its content, erase any previously obtained material, and negotiate financial compensation for prior unauthorized use.
This is the first time the BBC has taken such legal action against an Artificial Intelligence firm, underscoring rising tensions between traditional media organizations and Artificial Intelligence companies over intellectual property rights. The broadcaster referred to its recent research that found multiple prominent Artificial Intelligence chatbots, including Perplexity, inaccurately summarizing and at times misrepresenting news stories sourced from the BBC. Other technologies cited by the BBC for similar inaccuracies include OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini. Apple also faced scrutiny earlier in 2025, temporarily suspending an Artificial Intelligence-powered headlines feature in its news app for iPhone users after it generated misleading notifications based on BBC articles.
In response to the BBC’s allegations, Perplexity appeared dismissive, issuing a statement suggesting the BBC was acting to protect Google´s interests but providing no substantive defense or clarification regarding the copyright claims. This dispute is part of a broader wave of legal challenges by publishers and creatives against Artificial Intelligence companies over content usage. Perplexity was previously sued by News Corp in October 2024, while OpenAI and its major investor Microsoft have faced multiple lawsuits since December 2023, initiated by organizations such as The New York Times and other global publishers. Additional legal actions have been lodged against Anthropic and similar Artificial Intelligence developers, signaling a mounting industry-wide debate over content rights in the era of Artificial Intelligence-generated summaries.
