OpenAI engages in content licensing talks with CNN, Fox, and Time

OpenAI is in active discussions with major news outlets such as CNN, Fox Corp., and Time to license their content, say sources close to the matter. This effort comes as part of OpenAI's expansion strategy and amid allegations of copyright infringement.

• Licensing Objective: Enhancing the accuracy and relevance of ChatGPT, OpenAI's text, code, and other content creation tools, by using up-to-date digital media from various producers, training ChatGPT and integrating CNN's content into OpenAI's products, and licensing not just text, but also video and image content from CNN and Fox.

• NYT Negotiations: Time's CEO, Jessica Sibley, expressed optimism about reaching an agreement reflecting the fair value of their content. However, OpenAI is also dealing with lawsuits alleging copyright infringement, including a recent one from The New York Times.

• Licensing Compensation: Not all media companies are eager to negotiate with OpenAI. Some are considering legal action, while others are questioning the compensation offered by OpenAI, which ranges between $1M and $5M annually. This figure is seen as too low by some top publishers.

• Not All Agree with AI: Some media industry insiders are calling for regulatory intervention, arguing that copyright law should apply to generative AI, thus necessitating a license for the commercial use of copyrighted content. The way OpenAI presents publisher content and drives traffic back to media sites is also of significant concern.

In conclusion, OpenAI's success in securing access to copyrighted works is crucial for maintaining the utility of its AI models. As the company itself pointed out, limiting training data to public domain resources would fail to meet the needs of today's users.