Generative AI a transformative tool, Microsoft tells US court | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

(October 23, 2026, 20:19 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: Microsoft responded to a request from book authors asking a US court to rule in their favor without a trial. The request is part of related copyright cases in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Microsoft argued that the authors are ignoring the "profoundly transformative purpose" of training large language models (LLMs), a type of artificial intelligence that can understand and create text. Microsoft said LLMs can do many different things, including helping people write books. It pointed out that several of the authors suing Microsoft use the technology themselves. But Microsoft argued that helping people write books is not the main purpose of building an LLM. It compared this to making a hammer: a hammer can be used to build chairs, but making chairs is not the main purpose of making hammers. Microsoft made this argument in its written response to the court. See attached file.