Yahoo Finance Germany’s biggest news publisher strikes deal to let ChatGPT read its stories
Axel Springer, Germany’s biggest news publisher, has struck a landmark deal to allow OpenAI to use its articles to train ChatGPT.
Under the terms of the deal, OpenAI will pay to use content from titles owned by the publisher, which include Politico and Business Insider, to help develop its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.
Axel Springer, which owns the Bild and Welt newspapers in its home market, will also allow selected news stories to be used to help ChatGPT provide answers to users’ questions.
These will be presented in the form of short summaries, with links to the full articles for additional information. The agreement includes paywalled content.
Terms were not disclosed, but a source close to the deal said it included a one-off payment for past content as well as a licensing fee worth tens of millions of euros per year.
It marks the most significant licensing agreement to date as publishers grapple with how to protect their intellectual property from the rapid growth of AI.
Mathias Döpfner, chief executive of Axel Springer, said: “We are excited to have shaped this global partnership between Axel Springer and OpenAI – the first of its kind.
“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.”
Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer of OpenAI, added: “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.”
However, the move sparked a backlash from some journalists who said they had not been informed of the deal.
Joe Bambridge, an assistant editor at Politico Europe, said: “It is really disappointing that this has been announced publicly before any communication to staff about what it means for us, how our work will be used or whether we will benefit from any of the revenue.”
It is really disappointing that this has been announced publicly before any communication to staff about what it means for us, how our work will be used or whether we will benefit from any of the revenue.https://t.co/b6TM4sEC67
— Joe Bambridge (@JoeBambridge1) December 13, 2023
OpenAI has already struck a deal with The Associated Press that will allow the ChatGPT maker to use the newswire’s content.
Other publishers, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns the Times, Sun and Wall Street Journal, are in negotiations over similar deals.
News outlets have raised concerns that tech firms including OpenAI and Google have pilfered their content to help train up AI without permission or payment.
The Daily Mail is currently gearing up for a legal battle with Google over claims the tech giant used hundreds of thousands of online news stories to train its Bard chatbot in breach of copyright.
The Telegraph this week revealed that TikTok owner Bytedance has also been accused of scraping UK news sites to train up its own ChatGPT rival.
Efforts by politicians and regulators to agree a new code of conduct for AI have proved fraught as the two sides clash over interpretations of copyright law.
Nevertheless, many news outlets view licensing agreements as the most sustainable solution.
Owen Meredith, chief executive of the News Media Association, said: “While much more needs to be done to protect trusted journalism from the potentially harmful impacts of AI technology, this is a welcome acknowledgement of the critical principle that rights holders must consent for use of their content.
“The ability of publishers to protect their IP depends upon a robust and enforceable copyright framework. Any developer looking to scrape and use content must obtain permission from the publisher before doing so.”
Axel Springer’s landmark deal comes days after the company announced it will shut down its Upday news service and relaunch it as a “trend news generator” driven by AI.
