OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has struck a multi-year deal with News Corp. This means that the developer will get access to a wide range of news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and more.
As a result of the deal, OpenAI has received permission to train its AI tool on the basis of published content by these outlets. While OpenAI has expressed that this will allow the company to provide users with trustworthy information, the deal is not without criticism.
News Corp Opens Up Access to WSJ and More
Some of the biggest publishers in the news industry are part of News Corp. This means that OpenAI will get access to a wide variety of news and information websites, including American outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch, FN, and Investor’s Business Daily.
Across the pond, publications such as The Times and The Sun are also part of the deal. Australian sites like news.com.au and The Herald Sun are also part of the deal.
Not every News Corp publication is included in the OpenAI deal. While neither party have confirmed or denied the exact worth of the deal, the Wall Street Journal itself reports that the deal is worth 250 million USD.
News Corp has stated that the deal will help “ensure the highest journalism standards are present” in OpenAI’s products, which is in line with OpenAI’s own claim that the deal will improve the AI services the developer offers. It remains to be seen how this will turn out.
Positive Response from News Corp and OpenAI CEOs
Both Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp, and Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO have responded enthusiastically to the developments. Thomson has stated that, “We believe an historic agreement will set new standards for veracity, for virtue, and for value in the digital age.”
With regard to his cooperation with Sam Altman and his OpenAI team, Thomson spoke of “principled partners… who understand the commercial and social significance of journalists and journalism.”
Deal Not Without Criticism
Not everyone is excited about this development. In the first place, there are still unresolved issues with regard to OpenAI’s previous use of copyrighted material. The New York Times, for example, is currently suing OpenAI for copyright infringement.
The ability of AI to “hallucinate” content is another concern. While better access to sources may improve this flaw, some worry about potential bias in generative AI tools. How might sensationalist articles affect the AI tool versus investigative articles?
Finally, it is not yet clear how the growing use of artificial intelligence tools will impact job security within the news sector. Smaller and medium-sized players in the industry might be pushed to the side in favor of big players.
All this raises questions about the long-term consequences of this landmark deal.
