OpenAI is partnering with Hearst, one of the nation’s largest owners of newspaper and magazine content.
The collaboration, announced on Tuesday, spans over 20 magazine brands and 40 newspapers, becoming one of the company’s most sizable media partnerships. Included in the agreement will be content from the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Runner’s World and Women’s Health.
OpenAI has been sued by several publishers and other copyright holders in lawsuits accusing it of pilfering their work without compensation and consent to train its technology. It’s turned to striking content deals with other media companies, which are faced with the possibility of having their archives used by the company regardless of reaching agreements. In January, The New York Times sued over allegations that its articles are used in ChatGPT’s answers.
In a statement, Hearst Magazines President Debi Chirichella said the partnership will “help us evolve the future of magazine content.” She added, “This collaboration ensures that our high-quality writing and expertise, cultural and historical context and attribution and credibility are promoted as OpenAI’s products evolve.”
Under the deal, Hearst content used to answer queries in ChatGPT will “feature appropriate citations and direct links.” OpenAI said that this will provide “transparency and easy access to the original” sources. It was reached after the AI company closed a $6.6 billion funding round valuing it at $157 billion. Further terms weren’t disclosed.
“Bringing Hearst’s trusted content into our products elevates our ability to provide engaging, reliable information to our users,” said OpenAI chief operating officer Brad Lightcap in a statement.
Media organizations that have reached similar arrangement with OpenAI include Axel Springer, owner of Politico and Business Insider, News Corp., the Associated Press, the Financial Times, Vox Media and The Atlantic.
“As generative AI matures, it’s critical that journalism created by professional journalists be at the heart of all AI products,” said Hearst Newspapers President Jeff Johnson. “This agreement allows the trustworthy and curated content created by Hearst Newspapers’ award-winning journalists to be part of OpenAI’s products like ChatGPT — creating more timely and relevant results.”
At the forefront of copyright litigation between OpenAI and publishers are The New York Times and a coalition of eight daily newspapers — The New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, Denver Post, Orange County Register and St. Paul Pioneer Press — owned by Alden Global Capital. The company maintains its use of content across the internet to power its AI system constitutes fair use, which allows for utilization of copyrighted works under certain circumstances.