Time and OpenAI enter into content partnership

Time is the latest media company to partner with OpenAI. The two have entered into a multi-year content deal and strategic partnership that will bring Time’s journalism to OpenAI products, including ChatGPT.

The partnership is significant for OpenAI as it gives the AI ​​giant access to 101 years of archival journalism, which it will then use to deliver AI-generated answers to user queries. As part of the deal, any answer derived from a Time article will include a citation and a link back to the original source on Time’s website.

“Throughout our 101-year history, Time has driven innovation to ensure the delivery of our trusted journalism evolves alongside technology,” said Mark Howard, Time’s chief operating officer. “This partnership with OpenAI advances our mission to expand access to trusted information worldwide as we continue to explore innovative new ways to bring Time’s journalism to audiences worldwide.”

“We are working with Time to make it easier for people to access news content through our AI tools and to support reputable journalism by properly labeling the original sources,” said Brad Lightcap, Chief Operating Officer of OpenAI.

The partnership also gives Time access to OpenAI’s technology to develop new tools and provide feedback to OpenAI, according to the renowned news magazine.

This comes as the pace of deal-making between news publishers and AI companies has picked up, with News Corp and Vox Media inking deals last month. Time now joins The AP, DotDash Meredith, Axel Springer and others who license content to the tech company.

But not all media companies are embracing AI with open arms. The New York Times filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI in December, accusing the tech giants of copyright infringement. The case will likely set a precedent for future AI cases involving media and copyright infringement.

Numerous other media companies have followed suit and filed their own lawsuits against the AI ​​technology giants, including eight Alden Global Capital-owned newsrooms and digital media outlets such as Raw Story, Alternet and The Intercept.

The media now faces the existential question of whether they should fight artificial intelligence or enter into a content partnership that guarantees them compensation for the use of their materials.