- Apple is discussing deals with Condé Nast, NBC News, and IAC to use their news archives for AI training.
- The company's plans have received mixed reactions from publishers due to legal concerns and vague project details.
- This move is part of Apple's broader AI development strategy, which includes improving Siri and introducing AI features in the next iOS release.
December 24, 2023: In a strategic move to enhance its AI capabilities, Apple is reportedly in talks with major news publishers, aiming to license their news archives for training its generative AI systems.
According to The New York Times, the tech giant is discussing multiyear deals, potentially worth over $50 million, with prominent players such as Condé Nast, NBC News, and IAC.
The publishers’ response to Apple’s proposal has been mixed. Concerns have been raised about potential legal liabilities linked to Apple’s use of their content.
The New York Times notes that Apple’s plans for integrating news content into its AI development have been somewhat unclear, leading to reservations among some publishers. However, there’s also a sense of optimism among other news executives about the prospect of partnering with Apple.
As of now, neither Apple nor the news companies involved have commented on these discussions.
Apple’s push into AI development, though less-publicized than its competitors like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google, is significant.
The company is reportedly investing millions of dollars daily in AI research and development. This includes efforts to create a machine learning framework tailored for Apple Silicon and enhance the capacity of iPhones to run large language models (LLMs).
Additionally, Bloomberg has reported that Apple is working on improving Siri and planning to introduce AI-focused features in its upcoming iOS update.
Apple’s approach to AI development through partnerships with news organizations isn’t unprecedented.
OpenAI, for instance, has previously collaborated with the Associated Press and Axel Springer, the parent company of Politico, to train its AI models using their stories. Google is also actively working on AI tools to support journalists.
With these potential collaborations, Apple is positioning itself to make significant advancements in the field of AI, particularly in the realm of generative AI systems.
These systems, trained on vast archives of news content, could lead to more advanced, knowledgeable, and context-aware AI applications in the future.
