OpenAI has entered into a five-year agreement with News Corp, which could be worth up to $250 million. This deal comes at a time when tech giants like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google are under intense scrutiny for using copyrighted content without consent to train their AI models.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this landmark agreement allows OpenAI to access a vast array of current and archived content from News Corp’s extensive portfolio. Publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Times, the Sunday Times, Barron’s, and MarketWatch will be part of this content integration. OpenAI aims to enhance its AI models, particularly ChatGPT, by incorporating this high-quality news content.
News Corp will also contribute journalistic expertise to ensure the highest standards of journalism are maintained across OpenAI’s offerings. This partnership underscores a significant collaboration between technology and traditional media, aiming to benefit both sectors.
However, it remains unclear whether the agreement includes editorial or opinion content and whether this content will be part of ChatGPT’s paid model (GPT-4) or the publicly available free iteration.
In recent months, OpenAI has secured similar deals with other 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 extended its reach beyond mainstream media by striking content deals with social media platforms like Reddit.
These licensing agreements primarily allow ChatGPT to access and use content for training purposes, enabling the AI to generate more accurate and contextually appropriate responses. However, the News Corp deal stands out as it explicitly allows OpenAI to use news content to answer user questions, potentially reshaping how users interact with AI for news consumption.
In a press statement, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the transformative potential of this agreement, describing it as a pivotal moment for both journalism and technology. He emphasized that integrating high-quality journalism into AI models could enhance the value and accuracy of AI-generated content.
Despite these advancements, issues surrounding data ownership and copyright remain contentious. The New York Times has taken a firm stand by suing OpenAI and Microsoft for allegedly using its paywalled content without permission. This lawsuit underscores the ongoing debate over the ethical and legal implications of using copyrighted material to train AI models.
The impact of the News Corp deal on its journalists and editors is another area of concern. According to a report in The Guardian, layoffs are expected at News Corp next week, raising questions about the broader implications of such tech-media partnerships on employment within traditional news organizations.
As the boundaries between AI and media continue to blur, the collaboration between OpenAI and News Corp represents a significant step forward. However, it also highlights the need for careful navigation of legal, ethical, and employment-related challenges in this rapidly evolving landscape.
For more details on the deal, visit the original source here.
