Now, a damning new study could put AI companies on the defensive. In it, Stanford and Yale researchers found compelling evidence that AI models are actually copying all that data, not “learning” from it. It’s evidence that “may be a massive legal liability for AI companies” and “potentially cost the industry billions of dollars in copyright-infringement judgments.”Whether AI companies are liable for copyright infringement remains a subject of heated debate. The stakes are considerable, particularly as it becomes harder and harder for authors, journalists, and other content creators to make a living — while the AI industry swells to unfathomable value. More on AI and copyright: OpenAI’s Copyright Situation Appears to Be Putting It in Huge Danger