We are publishing the first-instance judgment in the trial pitting Cédric O against Bertrand Burgalat. This provides an opportunity to revisit a case that, far beyond its protagonists, illustrates the persistent tensions between the cultural industries, political power, and artificial intelligence. The publication of the judgment acquitting Bertrand Burgalat in the defamation lawsuit filed by Cédric O offers an opportunity to revisit a clash that extends far beyond the two men. For behind this case lies a divide that continues to run through European debates on artificial intelligence: the one pitting part of the cultural sector against developers of generative AI models. The Trial In its decision on March 27, the Paris Criminal Court ruled that the remarks made by the SNEP president on the BFM Business set…
