Social media platform Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) has filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, accusing the company of unlawfully scraping user-generated content to train its AI assistant, Claude, in violation of Reddit’s terms of service.
The complaint alleges that Anthropic used automated tools to access Reddit’s forums over 100,000 times without authorization, harvesting vast amounts of data in breach of the site’s public content policy.
“Anthropic has engaged in unfair business acts that harm Reddit and its users,” the company said in its legal filing.
Reddit added that it had explicitly denied Anthropic permission to collect its data and that earlier discussions aimed at reaching a licensing agreement had failed.
The lawsuit marks the latest flashpoint in a broader battle between tech platforms and AI developers over the use of online data. Reddit, which went public last year, has already signed licensing deals with OpenAI and Google that it says ensure legal compliance and user protections, including the ability to delete content and prevent spam.
Anthropic, which was founded by former OpenAI researchers in 2021 and is backed by Amazon, denied the allegations. “We disagree with Reddit’s claims and will defend ourselves vigorously,” the company said in a brief statement.