OpenAI has partnered with News Corp, the international media conglomerate, to integrate its news content into AI models. This multiyear deal marks a significant evolution in the relationship between technology and journalism.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal could be worth $250 million over five years. Under the agreement, OpenAI will have access to current and archived content from News Corp publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Times, the Sunday Times, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and others. This access will enable OpenAI to display content from these mastheads in response to user questions, aiming to enhance its AI products, including the widely used ChatGPT.
News Corp will also contribute its journalistic expertise to ensure the highest standards across OpenAI’s offerings, according to the press release. This collaboration underscores the potential for synergy between traditional journalism and cutting-edge AI technology.
However, uncertainties remain. It is unclear whether the agreement includes editorial or opinion content, or if it will be part of ChatGPT’s paid model (GPT-4) or the publicly available free version. This ambiguity points to the complexities of integrating high-quality journalistic content into AI systems.
In recent months, OpenAI has inked deals with other media companies, including The Associated Press, Axel Springer in Germany, Prisa Media in Spain, France’s Le Monde newspaper, and the Financial Times. These deals highlight the AI industry’s growing reliance on diverse content sources to train and refine AI models. Additionally, OpenAI has struck agreements with non-mainstream sources such as Reddit, emphasizing the broad scope of its content acquisition strategy.
Most of these licensing deals provide ChatGPT with content for training purposes, enabling it to generate efficient responses. However, the News Corp deal uniquely allows the AI to use news content to answer user questions directly. This development signals a deeper integration of journalistic content into AI responses.
In a press statement, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, underscored the transformative nature of the deal, describing it as a pivotal moment for both journalism and technology. Altman’s comments highlight the potential for this partnership to redefine how AI and media intersect, despite the unresolved challenges.
All large language models (LLMs) “learn” by analyzing vast amounts of data, often sourced online. The ongoing issue of data ownership remains contentious. The New York Times, for instance, is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for billions of dollars, alleging unauthorized content scraping from behind paywalls to enhance AI models. This lawsuit exemplifies the growing friction between tech companies and traditional media over content usage rights.
The impact of the News Corp deal on its journalists and editors remains uncertain. According to a report in The Guardian, layoffs are expected at News Corp next week, raising questions about the broader implications of such partnerships on media workforce stability.
As AI continues to evolve, partnerships like the one between OpenAI and News Corp will shape the future of information dissemination, balancing innovation with the need to address legal and ethical concerns. For more details, see the full story at PR Week.