Google to pay News Corp. to enhance AI development

Google has recently struck a content deal with News Corp., the world's largest media conglomerate, aimed at leveraging news content to advance its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

According to reports from Reuters and other media sources on Tuesday, the agreement was finalized last month. News Corp., which owns Dow Jones (publisher of the Wall Street Journal), HarperCollins, The Times (UK), and Australia's Euro Broadcasting, will provide news content from these news outlets to fuel Google's AI models. In return, Google will compensate News Corp. with an annual payment of up to 6 million U.S. dollars.

The escalating competition in the AI sector has prompted various companies to secure licensing agreements granting access to digital content from news publishers. OpenAI, for instance, recently unveiled a collaboration with The Financial Times to access its content. This partnership marks OpenAI's fifth media licensing deal, following agreements with The Associated Press, Axel Springer, Le Monde, and Prisa Media. "These deals will empower us to deliver top-notch real-time journalism to millions worldwide," OpenAI stated.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is facing a legal challenge over copyright infringement from eight prominent U.S. newspapers, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, and Orlando Sentinel—publications owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital. These newspapers allege that OpenAI and Microsoft used their content without authorization.


최지원기자 jwchoi@donga.com