News Corp., owner of The Post, has agreed to a landmark content licensing deal with artificial intelligence giant OpenAI, the companies announced Wednesday.
The deal allows ChatGPT’s creators to use current and archived content produced by News Corp.-owned publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The Sun, and the Times of London. , will be able to answer user questions and train AI tools.
The five-year agreement could be worth more than $250 million, with compensation to be paid in the form of cash and credits for the use of OpenAI technology.
“We believe this historic agreement sets a new standard for truth, virtue and values in the digital age,” News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said in a statement. “We are pleased to have found a principled partner in Sam Altman and his trusted and talented team, who understand the commercial and societal importance of journalists and journalism.”
“This landmark agreement is not the end, but the beginning of a great friendship, as we work together to create and deliver with immediate insight and integrity,” Thompson added.
The deal was announced amid a fierce competition between Microsoft-backed OpenAI and rivals such as Google to develop advanced AI chatbots.
OpenAI currently has content deals with several prominent news publishers and platforms, including Politico’s parent company Axel Springer, The Associated Press, Dotdash Meredith and Reddit.
Altman called the partnership “a proud moment for journalism and technology.”
“We greatly value News Corp’s history as a leader in covering breaking news around the world and are excited to enhance users’ access to their high-quality reporting,” the OpenAI head said.
“Together, we are building the foundation for a future where AI deeply respects, enhances and upholds the standards of world-class journalism.”
The licensing agreement comes after months of negotiations between the two companies. News Corp will also “share its journalism expertise” to ensure high-quality content in OpenAI’s products.
News publishers have expressed concern that AI companies will use their content to build chatbots, and then use the same products to siphon traffic and advertising revenue from key sites.
Thomson, a vocal critic of AI companies that create chatbots that steal content and churn out “garbage”, said in February that News Corp believed “courtship is preferable to the courts” to dealing with the situation.
Other media outlets have opted to take legal action, including The New York Times, which filed a broad federal copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI in December.
The partnership surfaced just days after Google raised eyebrows with its controversial move to add AI-generated answers to its search engine.
The tech giant also revealed plans to add ads to its regurgitated summaries, called “AI summaries.”
