How “AI Aggressors” Are Being Addressed

While doubts about the use of artificial intelligence were prevalent early on, more news publishers are signing deals with AI companies like OpenAI over the use of their content. The deals involve using AI technology, such as ChatGPT, to develop their products by referencing content from news publishers.

To ensure the use of ChatGPT is used with integrity, citations linking back to the publishers’ websites are always used to prove content was not completely AI-generated. OpenAI is offering news organizations between $1 million and $5 million annually to license their copyrighted content for model training, with News Corp’s deal reportedly exceeding $250 million over five years.

However, legal action has been initiated by News Corp's chief executive, Robert Thompson, against "AI aggressors," as disclosed in the company's full-year results for 2023/24. Despite signing a deal with OpenAI covering the Wall Street Journal, The Sun, Times, and New York Post, News Corp remains critical of the practices of AI companies. Other news organizations seem to be in negotiations with OpenAI, though many have suggested that they still are seriously considering their legal options.

More than a few news publishers have taken legal action against OpenAI in the last two years. For instance, there are eight daily newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital that are suing OpenAI. The newspapers in question include the Chicago Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel, the Denver Post, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, among the others. The newspapers are demanding recognition of their legal rights over their content and compensation for its use in training AI tools. The executive editor of Media News Group and Tribune Publishing Newspapers emphasized that they won't permit OpenAI to continue the Big Tech practice of exploiting their work to build businesses at their expense.

Perhaps the most high-profile case against OpenAI was from The New York Times, which announced it would seek damages and restitution along with the destruction of all large language models trained on its content.  The publication expressed its concerns over the use of its intellectual property by OpenAI after nine months of unsuccessful negotiations. As a result, a lawsuit was filed that hinged on the U.S. court’s interpretation of “fair use” in copyright law.

Time is among the news publishers that signed a deal and strategic partnership with OpenAI that will span multiple years. The ChatGPT creator will have access to Time’s 101-year-old archive through this deal along with its current reporting so up-to-date answers can be given to users. Time can also access the OpenAI tech to develop its own products and offer feedback to the tech company on how journalism is delivered through its tools. OpenAI's chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, stated that the deal supports "reputable journalism by ensuring proper attribution to original sources." Vox Media's agreement with OpenAI centers on incorporating archived journalism into AI technology for developing both audience-facing and internal products.

Vox Media plans to leverage OpenAI to improve creative optimization and audience targeting on its first-party data platform, Forte, which is used across all Vox Media sites and its ad marketplace. Jim Bankoff, the chair, chief executive, and co-founder of Vox Media, intends to use AI to enhance productivity and discoverability of their journalists and creators as well as protect their intellectual property.