Two media organizations announced deals Wednesday with Open AI as nine others engage the artificial intelligence (AI) startup in legal battles over alleged copyright infringements, according to official statements and court documents.
The Atlantic announced “a strategic content and product partnership with OpenAI, which positions The Atlantic as a premium news source within OpenAI.”
“The Atlantic’s product team will have privileged access to OpenAI tech, give feedback, and share use-cases to shape and improve future news experiences in ChatGPT and other OpenAI products,” the statement reads.
“We’re delighted to partner with OpenAI,” Nicholas Thompson, The Atlantic’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said in part. He also shared The Atlantic’s belief that “people searching with AI models will be one of the fundamental ways that people navigate the web in the future.”
Vox Media also entered into “a broad-based strategic partnership” with OpenAI, making Vox Media’s journalism available to ChatGPT’s users, according to the media organization’s statement.
With the deal, OpenAI could “drive forward with innovation while amplifying the work of journalists”, OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap said in part in the statement.
OpenAI announced deals with Vox Media and the Atlantic on Wednesday, adding to the growing number of news organizations taking money from the artificial intelligence company in exchange for sharing their content. https://t.co/jVWHUoLEZY
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 29, 2024
The New York Times (NYT) sued OpenAI and Microsoft in the Southern District Court Of New York on Dec 27, 2023. The media giant accused both tech companies of creating AI tools that stole millions of the media outlet’s copyrighted articles and other content, court documents reveal. The NYT said it became the first major media company to sue both technology giants. (RELATED: Scarlett Johansson Sues OpenAI, Claiming ChatGPT Mimics Her Voice)
OpenAI said in a Jan. 8 statement that it supported journalism and dismissed the NYT’s lawsuit as being “without merit.”
Eight other media outlets — New York Daily News (NYDN), LP; Chicago Tribune Company, LLC; Orlando Sentinel Communications Company, LLC; Sun-Sentinel Company, LLC; San Jose MercuryNews, LLC; DP Media Network, LLC; ORB Publishing, LLC; and Northwest Publications, LLC — also sued OpenAI and Microsoft in the Southern District of New York Apr. 30.
All eight accused the technology companies of “purloining millions of the Publishers’ copyrighted articles without permission and without payment to fuel the commercialization of their generative artificial intelligence (‘GenAI’) products,” court documents reveal.
Manhattan-based investment firm Alden Global Capital owns all eight media organizations.
Editorial Note: This article has been updated to note that Alden Global Capital is an investment firm.
