OpenAI to start using news content from News Corp. as part of a multi-year deal

Joining news organizations that have chosen to collaborate rather than fight with the best-known artificial intelligence company, News Corp. has struck a multi-year deal to share news content with OpenAI for both training purposes and to answer questions from users.

Joining news organizations that have chosen to collaborate rather than fight with the best-known artificial intelligence company, News Corp. has struck a multi-year deal to share news content with OpenAI for both training purposes and to answer questions from users.

As part of the deal, OpenAI will have access to both fresh and archived material from News Corp.'s major news publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, New York Post, The Daily Telegraph and others.

The companies would not talk about the length or value of the deal, although News Corp.'s Wall Street Journal said it could be worth more than US$250 million over five years.

OpenAI has also made licensing deals with other media companies including The Associated Press, news publishing giants Axel Springer in Germany and Prisa Media in Spain, France's Le Monde newspaper and the London-based Financial Times.

For the most part, those deals gave access to news content that OpenAI uses for training. But in the News Corp. deal, the artificial intelligence company will be allowed to use news content to answer questions from users. Google announced this month that it is changing its search engines to more directly address queries, instead of directing people to articles put out by news organizations.

Taking a different approach, The New York Times late last year sued OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing the companies of effectively stealing the work of its journalists for use in training chatbots.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said the News Corp. deal represents a proud moment for journalism and technology.