FT archive to be available for OpenAI soon

The Financial Times and OpenAI have agreed to allow the latter to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) models using the former archived content, according to the Financial Times (FT) on Monday.

This latest collaboration between OpenAI and a global news publisher aims to enhance generative AI technology capable of producing text, images, and code that closely resemble human creations.

In this deal, the FT will provide licensing for its materials to assist in the development of ChatGPT, enabling the AI to offer summaries from FT articles and link back to the FT website.

This integration allows ChatGPT’s vast user base of 100 million worldwide users to access FT reporting while maintaining a pathway to the original content source.

FT’s chief executive, John Ridding, emphasised the importance of transparency, attribution, and compensation, highlighting OpenAI’s understanding of these principles.

Moreover, Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, expressed the partnership’s goal of empowering news organisations and enriching the ChatGPT experience with real-time journalism for millions globally.

Notably, this collaboration marks OpenAI’s fifth such deal in the past year, following agreements with other prominent news outlets such as the Associated Press (AP), Axel Springer, Le Monde, and Prisa Media.

While financial terms were not disclosed, Axel Springer is anticipated to earn significant revenue annually from its agreement with OpenAI.

The New York Times previously filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging unauthorised use of its articles in developing ChatGPT. Despite ongoing discussions, no resolution has been reached.

In a broader context, discussions between AI companies and news publishers, including News Corp, The Guardian, and Thomson Reuters, have been ongoing. These conversations underscore the evolving relationship between AI technology and the news media industry, with news publishers leveraging their valuable content in negotiations with AI platforms, according to the FT.