Twitter accuses Microsoft of misusing its data, foreshadowing a possible fight over AI

SAN FRANCISCO — A lawyer for Twitter owner Elon Musk accused Microsoft of misusing the service’s data and demanded an audit from the software giant. Musk has previously accused Microsoft and its partner OpenAI in a tweet of “illegally” using Twitter data to develop sophisticated AI systems such as ChatGPT. It noted that Microsoft’s agreement with Twitter barred it from overuse of the service’s data such as exceeding “reasonable request volume” or “excessive or abusive usage.” Spiro then noted that “despite these limitations,” Microsoft had retrieved more than 26 billion tweets in 2022 alone. Similarly, the letter asserted that at least one Microsoft app had supplied Twitter data to a number of virtual locations that “reference a government entity or agency.” That apparently violated Microsoft’s agreement with Twitter, the letter stated, which prohibited the company from retrieving Twitter data “on behalf of ‘any government-related entity’” without first notifying Twitter.