OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has secured a multiyear content deal with News Corp, an international media conglomerate. This partnership comes as tech giants like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google face increasing scrutiny over the usage of copyrighted content to train their AI models without explicit consent.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the five-year agreement is potentially worth $250 million. Under the terms of this deal, OpenAI will gain access to a wealth of current and archived content from various News Corp publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Times, the Sunday Times, Barron’s, and MarketWatch, among others. This access is intended to enhance OpenAI’s products, likely by using the content to train its artificial intelligence models and improve response accuracy.
News Corp will also share journalistic expertise with OpenAI to ensure the highest standards of journalism are upheld across OpenAI’s offerings. This collaboration is expected to set a precedent for similar partnerships between AI companies and media outlets. However, the specifics of whether the agreement includes editorial or opinion content remain unclear. Furthermore, it is yet to be determined if this integration will be limited to ChatGPT’s paid model (GPT-4) or if it will be available in the free version as well.
In recent months, OpenAI has forged similar deals with other major media companies, including The Associated Press, Axel Springer in Germany, Prisa Media in Spain, France’s Le Monde, and the Financial Times. Additionally, OpenAI has collaborated with social media platforms like Reddit to continually train its AI systems.
These licensing deals typically provide ChatGPT with access to content for training purposes, allowing it to generate more accurate and relevant responses. However, the News Corp deal is unique as it permits OpenAI to use this content directly to answer users’ questions.
In a press statement, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, highlighted the transformative nature of this agreement, stating that it represents a pivotal moment for both journalism and technology.
All large language models (LLMs) learn by analyzing vast amounts of data, often sourced online. This practice raises unresolved questions about data ownership and the ethical use of content. Notably, The New York Times has taken a different approach, suing OpenAI and Microsoft for billions of dollars over the unauthorized use of its paywalled content to train ChatGPT. This legal battle underscores the tension between traditional media outlets and emerging AI technologies.
The impact of this deal on News Corp’s journalists and editors remains uncertain. According to a report in The Guardian, layoffs are expected at News Corp next week, highlighting the potential workforce implications of such partnerships.
For more details on this development, you can read the full article on PR Week.