OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and COO Brad Lightcap recently appeared on the New York Times’ podcast Hard Fork. They entered the venue in a fashion that resembled WWE wrestlers, setting a lighthearted tone.

Altman quickly addressed the New York Times’ lawsuit regarding privacy by stating, “Are you going to talk about where you sue us because you don’t like user privacy?” This remark elicited laughter from the audience, highlighting the tension surrounding the legal battle between OpenAI and the Times.

The lawsuit involves allegations from the Times claiming OpenAI utilized its articles for training large language models. Altman expressed frustration over the request for OpenAI to retain user data despite user requests for deletion, emphasizing the need for privacy rights in AI technology.

Host Kevin Roose cleverly responded, “It must be really hard when someone does something with your data you don’t want them to,” prompting laughter in the crowd.

Altman reiterated the significance of privacy in AI, stating, “We think privacy and AI is an extremely important concept… still love you guys, still love The New York Times, but that one we feel strongly about.”

The discussion also touched on other relevant issues, including competition with Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s interest in AI, which Lightcap addressed with a dose of humor.

This event sharply illustrated the ongoing discussions in tech around user data, privacy, and the tensions between media companies and tech developers.