In a bold move, AI startup Perplexity has hit back at media giants accusing it of copyright infringement, claiming that they are trying to stifle innovation and maintain control over publicly reported facts. The startup's response comes after News Corp filed a lawsuit against it, alleging large-scale copyright violations.

Perplexity's blog post asserts that the media companies, including News Corp, Forbes, The New York Times, and Wired, are trying to suppress the development of AI technology that could disrupt their business models. The startup argues that these companies want to maintain a stranglehold on publicly reported facts, forcing others to pay a toll to access and use them.

While Perplexity's response has been criticized for lacking concrete evidence to back up its claims, the startup's tone marks a significant shift in its engagement with the media industry. Perplexity has previously collaborated with several legacy media companies, including Time, Fortune, and Der Spiegel, in a revenue-sharing program.

The lawsuit and Perplexity's response highlight the ongoing tension between the tech and media industries over the use of AI in content generation and dissemination. As the case proceeds, it will be interesting to see how the court filings from both sides shed more light on the events and trends at play.

The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the development of AI technology and its applications in the media industry. Will Perplexity's bold stance pay off, or will the media giants succeed in limiting the scope of AI innovation? Only time will tell.