CNN filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity on Thursday in a New York court, alleging the company's AI tools unlawfully reproduce its copyrighted content.

The news organization claims that Perplexity's AI-powered answer engine generates what it describes as verbatim copies of CNN's articles. The lawsuit also alleges that Perplexity provides users with access to information that is normally restricted behind CNN's subscription paywall.

Perplexity operates an AI-powered search and answer platform that uses artificial intelligence to respond to user queries by drawing information from various online sources. The company markets itself as an alternative to traditional search engines by providing direct answers rather than links to websites.

The lawsuit represents the latest legal challenge facing AI companies over their use of copyrighted material to train and operate their systems. News organizations and content creators have increasingly raised concerns about AI tools reproducing their work without permission or compensation.

The case was filed in federal court in New York, though specific details about the damages being sought or other legal remedies requested by CNN were not immediately available. Perplexity has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.