On Wednesday, News Corp. unveiled a groundbreaking deal with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. The agreement allows the AI firm to utilize content from News Corp. publications in its artificial intelligence products.
Under this agreement, OpenAI gains access to both current and archived content from News Corp.’s properties, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and The New York Post.
While the financial specifics were not disclosed, sources close to the deal revealed to the Wall Street Journal that it exceeded $250 million over five years. Additionally, the agreement entails credits for News Corp.’s utilization of OpenAI technology.
The accord represents a significant milestone in the ongoing conversation surrounding AI firms like OpenAI’s use of copyrighted content. Generative AI models rely on extensive datasets to mimic human thinking processes. This collaboration allows OpenAI to access News Corp.’s content to respond to user queries with the media conglomerate’s permission.
This partnership adds to OpenAI’s growing licensing agreements with prominent media entities, including The Associated Press, the Financial Times, and others. However, some outlets, such as The New York Times and The Intercept, have opted to pursue legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, illustrating the complexities surrounding using proprietary content in AI training.
The collaboration with News Corp. also extends beyond content access. The media giant will share its journalistic expertise with OpenAI to maintain the highest standards of journalism. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, hailed the partnership as a significant moment for both journalism and technology, envisioning a future where AI enhances and upholds the integrity of world-class journalism.
Meanwhile, amid this development, OpenAI faced controversy when actress Scarlett Johansson accused the firm of replicating her voice without consent for a new voice assistant named “Sky.” In response, Altman issued an apology and suspended the use of voice assistants.
They were led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. According to Reuters, a significant deal was announced granting access to content from major news publications owned by media conglomerate News Corp. This agreement follows closely on the heels of a similar deal between OpenAI and the Financial Times, facilitated by Microsoft’s backing.
Access to a vast array of data is invaluable for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a chatbot renowned for generating human-like responses and summarising lengthy text. Partnerships like these are essential for training AI models. They can also prove lucrative for news publishers, who have traditionally missed out on profits earned by internet giants for distributing their content.
Recently, OpenAI also secured a content deal with Reddit, further expanding its access to diverse sources of information.
While OpenAI did not disclose the financial specifics of the News Corp. deal, the Wall Street Journal reported that it could exceed $250 million over five years. Moreover, the agreement includes provisions ensuring that content will not be immediately accessible on ChatGPT upon publication on News Corp’s websites.
The deal encompasses access to current and archived content from various News Corp. publications, including the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and the Times. Following the announcement, news of the agreement drove a 4 percent increase in News Corp.’s shares.
