OpenAI Inks Licensing Deal With News Corp for ChatGPT Training Data

OpenAI has signed a new licensing deal to use articles and content from News Corp media brands for ChatGPT training.

The Microsoft-backed company has been making moves to secure licenses to access troves of content and data to train its future AI models.

OpenAI will now have access to articles from news outlets including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and The Daily Telegraph.

As a result of the deal, ChatGPT users will see snippets of articles from News Corp news outlets in responses, with the chatbot providing links to relevant articles.

OpenAI said it is working with News Corp to “support the highest journalistic standards and enrich our products with its premium journalism.”

It will also tap News Corp for its expertise to help ensure the company maintains journalistic standards.

“Our partnership with News Corp is a proud moment for journalism and technology,” said Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO. “We greatly value News Corp’s history as a leader in reporting breaking news around the world and are excited to enhance our users’ access to its high-quality reporting. Together, we are setting the foundation for a future where AI deeply respects, enhances and upholds the standards of world-class journalism.”

The deal only covers news publications and does not extend to any of News Corp’s other businesses.

Related:OpenAI Pulls ChatGPT Voice Over Scarlett Johansson Similarity

“We believe an historic agreement will set new standards for veracity, for virtue and for value in the digital age,” said Robert Thomson, News Corp’s chief executive. “We are delighted to have found principled partners in Altman and his trusty, talented team who understand the commercial and social significance of journalists and journalism. This landmark accord is not an end, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship in which we are jointly committed to creating and delivering insight and integrity instantaneously.”

OpenAI’s deal with News Corp follows similar agreements with Reddit, Stack Overflow, the Associated Press and Axel Springer.

The deals come as OpenAI faces increasing copyright lawsuits over its previous data practices, where the company, along with other model developers, scraped vast troves of content from across the internet without permission.

Copyleaks CEO Alon Yamin said the multi-year partnership “signifies a significant evolution in the relationship between the AI industry and news outlets.”

“This access will enhance the training data for OpenAI's models, potentially improving the accuracy and reliability of its ChatGPT chatbot,” Yamin said. “For News Corp, the partnership offers a new revenue stream and increased visibility, ensuring its journalistic standards are upheld within AI-generated content.

Related:Google, OpenAI New AI Agents Shift Focus to Consumers

“This deal underscores the necessity for robust and ethical partnerships in the AI industry, balancing innovation with the rights and interests of content creators. As AI technologies advance and their applications expand, the collaboration between OpenAI and News Corp could influence how AI developers and media organizations interact, setting new standards for ethical content sourcing and intellectual property management in the digital age.”

Moody's Ratings senior vice president Jason Cuomo described the partnership as “credit positive.”

“Collaborating with the leader in generative AI validates the company’s approach to effectively monetizing the value of News Corp’s media brands and validates the opportunity to grow sales and profitability in the news media segment,” Cuomo said.