A strategic cooperation and licensing agreement between The Financial Times and OpenAI will see the integration of the newspaper’s journalism into ChatGPT and joint development of new AI products for FT readers. OpenAI is still collecting data from the internet without authorization, even as it is warming up to publishers.
As a result of the agreement, ChatGPT users will see relevant searches accompanied with carefully chosen attributed summaries, quotes, and rich links to FT articles. Furthermore, earlier this year, the FT signed up as a ChatGPT Enterprise subscriber, granting access to the platform so that every employee could become acquainted with it and take advantage of its potential productivity enhancements.
In several ways, this is a significant arrangement, according to FT Group CEO John Ridding. “It acknowledges the importance of our award-winning journalism and will provide us with early access to AI-powered content surface.”
Technology businesses became the target of multiple lawsuits and public condemnation in 2023 for allegedly training their AI models without necessary authorization by exploiting copyrighted content from publishers and artists.
Particularly OpenAI faced harsh criticism for using data from the internet to train its GPT algorithms without the permission of the relevant content creators. Due of the severity of this problem, The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI last year, claiming that they had violated copyright.
Ridding emphasized the FT’s dedication to human journalism while pointing out that the deal will increase the scope of the newsroom’s operations and improve its comprehension of reader interests.
“There are wider ramifications for the business in addition to the advantages for the FT. Naturally, AI platforms should compensate publishers for the use of their content. Ridding clarified, “OpenAI recognizes the value of attribution, pay, and transparency—all of which are critical to us.
The New York Times revealed earlier this month that OpenAI was training its AI models with scripts taken from YouTube films. The magazine claims that since content creators who post videos to YouTube retain copyright ownership of the material they create, this method is illegal under copyright regulations.
OpenAI, however, insists that the fair use doctrine applies to its usage of internet content. The company, like many other digital companies, claims that its large language models (LLMs) create something completely new and unique out of the data collected from the internet.
The development of the most advanced AI systems available today would be “impossible” without the use of enormous volumes of copyrighted material, OpenAI claimed in January before a UK parliamentary committee.
“Our partnership and ongoing dialogue with the FT is about finding creative and productive ways for AI to empower news organizations and journalists, and enrich the ChatGPT experience with real-time, world-class journalism for millions of people around the world,” COO of OpenAI Brad Lightcap said, expressing his excitement about the collaboration with the Financial Times.
The Financial Times and OpenAI have reached an agreement that is the latest in a string of new partnerships that OpenAI has established with significant news organizations throughout the globe.
The company will be able to continue training its algorithms on web content thanks to OpenAI’s recent collaborations with publishers, even though the financial details of these contracts were kept confidential. The key distinction is that OpenAI now has the required permissions to do so.
“The opportunity to be inside the development loop as people discover content in new ways” is something that the FT cherishes, according to Ridding. While he admitted that revolutionary technology like artificial intelligence could present both opportunities and difficulties, he emphasized that “turning back time is something that’s never possible.”
“As these products develop, it’s critical that we uphold high standards of journalism and put the necessary safeguards in place to protect the FT’s brand and content,” Ridding continued.
Over its existence, The Financial Times has embraced new technologies. “As we navigate this next wave of change, we’ll continue to operate with both curiosity and vigilance,” Ridding said in closing.
