OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) research laboratory behind ChatGPT, and Axel Springer, the German media giant, announced a global partnership on Wednesday to advance the use of AI in journalism. The deal is the first of its kind between a major AI company and a news publisher.
Under the agreement, OpenAI will compensate Axel Springer for accessing articles from its various publications, including Politico, Business Insider, Bild, and Welt, to train AI models like ChatGPT. In exchange, ChatGPT will offer users summaries and snippets of articles from Axel Springer’s brands. The responses will include links to the full articles for proper transparency and credit.
The multi-year pact aims to develop new AI products for journalism and compensate publishers fairly for their content. Both sides described it as mutually beneficial – supporting Axel Springer’s existing ventures using AI while helping ChatGPT access timely, factual information.
“We are excited to have shaped this global partnership between Axel Springer and OpenAI – the first of its kind” said Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer. “We want to explore the opportunities of AI empowered journalism – to bring quality, societal relevance and the business model of journalism to the next level”, the media executive added.
OpenAI Would Reportedly Pay Eight Figures Annually to Access Axel’s Database
Under the deal, OpenAI will license historical articles from Axel Springer publications to train its natural language AI models. It will also continually refresh the training data with the latest news articles published by the company’s media outlets.
In return, ChatGPT will provide attributed summaries and snippets from Axel Springer’s reporting in response to certain user queries. This will include access to paywalled articles that would be otherwise inaccessible to users unless they subscribe.
All article excerpts will link back to the original story for full context and attribution. OpenAI described this as a step towards transparency by properly crediting publishers.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, previous similar deals have included eight-figure annual payments by AI firms to access news content.
Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer at OpenAI, explained the company’s rationale for the deal by stating:
“This partnership with Axel Springer will help provide people with new ways to access quality, real-time news content through our AI tools. We are deeply committed to working with publishers and creators around the world and ensuring they benefit from advanced AI technology and new revenue models”.
The Deal Highlights How AI and Media Companies Could Find Common Ground
The landmark deal reflects a global shift in how major media companies and AI developers interact. Publishers have been increasingly alarmed by AI chatbots and their ability to access and use news content without permission or payment as training data.
Recent lawsuits against AI giants over alleged copyright infringement underscore their determination to be compensated fairly. At the same time, AI companies recognize the need for accurate and ethical information to improve their models.
This confluence of interests is paving the way for negotiated partnerships instead of outright legal battles.
In July this year, OpenAI announced a similar agreement with The Associated Press to license parts of its archives for training its AI models.
The Axel Springer agreement goes further by enabling real-time news updates in ChatGPT responses. It also covers a wider range of publications across business, political, and general news.
As the first deal between an AI firm and a global news publisher, it could influence the pace at which similar agreements are signed worldwide between technology companies and media groups. Top publishers including The New York Times and the Financial Times are reportedly negotiating similar arrangements.
Licensed AI Content Could Turn Out to Be an Attractive New Revenue Stream for Publishers
For Axel Springer, the OpenAI deal also holds symbolic importance as a milestone in the media company’s strategy to take advantage of new technologies instead of the other way around.
Many publishers found themselves overwhelmed by the rise of tech giants who used news content to build online advertising empires. By contrast, Axel Springer aims to work with AI developers as partners while retaining control over its content.
Lending its extensive database of news content could prove to be a rewarding new source of revenue for publishers.
If successful, this cooperative strategy could strengthen the economic sustainability of journalism in the age of AI. Other global media companies will closely watch its implementation in practice.
The partnership between OpenAI and Axel Springer signals a new stage in the relationship between artificial intelligence developers and news publishers. After initial clashes over copyright issues, both sides may now recognize that there could be something to gain for both sides of the aisle if they decide to collaborate.
As AI shapes the future of the news industry, consumers could expect to see more collaborative deals emerge. Both technology companies and media giants have a shared interest in creating quality journalism supported by ethical applications of artificial intelligence.