The New York Times’ first generative AI deal is with Amazon

The New York Times has struck a multi-year AI licensing woody with Amazon that volition bring its “editorial contented to a assortment of Amazon lawsuit experiences,” the outlet announced connected Thursday. Under the agreement, Amazon volition see summaries and abbreviated excerpts of The Times’ content successful products similar Alexa, and volition besides usage Times articles to assistance bid its AI models.

The woody comes implicit a twelvemonth aft The Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement, accusing the companies of “copying and utilizing millions” of its articles to bid their AI models, portion depriving the work of subscription, licensing, advertising, and affiliate revenue. Several different outlets person sued OpenAI connected akin grounds, including The Intercept, Raw Story, CBC/Radio-Canada, and the owner of IGN and CNET. Other publishers, like The Atlantic, News Corp, and The Verge genitor institution Vox Media person struck AI licensing deals.

In summation to utilizing contented from The Times, Amazon volition besides gully from the outlet’s sports-focused outlet, The Athletic, and its look hub, NYT Cooking. Amazon launched its AI-upgraded Alexa Plus successful aboriginal entree earlier this year and claims “hundreds of thousands of customers” person tried the assistant. The fiscal presumption of the woody were not disclosed.

“The woody is accordant with our long-held rule that high-quality journalism is worthy paying for,” Meredith Kopit Levien, the CEO of The New York Times Company, said successful a enactment to unit astatine the Times. “It aligns with our deliberate attack to ensuring that our enactment is valued appropriately, whether done commercialized deals oregon done the enforcement of our intelligence spot rights.”