OpenAI Makes Licensing Deal With Financial Times, To Use Its Content To Train AI Models

OpenAI, the creator of the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has secured yet another news licensing agreement in Europe, this time with London’s Financial Times.

Regarding content licensing, both parties have stated that the agreement allows OpenAI to utilise FT's content for training AI models.

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OpenAI, the creator of the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has secured yet another news licensing agreement in Europe, this time with London’s Financial Times (FT).  FT is among the publishers it compensates for content access, the media has reported. Similar to previous licensing deals with OpenAI, the financial details of this arrangement remain undisclosed, says a report by TechCrunch.

However, it's worth noting that this is a non-exclusive licensing agreement, and OpenAI is not acquiring any ownership stake in the FT Group.

OpenAI To Use Financial Time's Content To Train AI Models

Regarding content licensing, both parties have stated that the agreement allows OpenAI to utilise FT's content for training AI models and, when suitable, for display in generative AI responses generated by tools like ChatGPT, mirroring similar arrangements seen in its other publisher deals.

The most recent agreement appears to have a slightly warmer tone compared to other recent partnerships between OpenAI and publishers, such as those with German powerhouse Axel Springer or with AP, Le Monde, and Prisa Media in France and Spain, respectively. In this case, both parties are characterising the deal as a "strategic partnership and licensing agreement." However, it's worth noting that Le Monde's CEO also described the "partnership" announced with OpenAI in March as a "strategic move", the report added.

The strategic focus seems to revolve around the FT enhancing its comprehension of generative AI, particularly as a tool for content discovery. This is being framed as a collaboration aimed at creating "new AI products and features for FT readers," indicating the news publisher's keen interest in broadening its utilization of AI technology overall.

"In collaboration with ChatGPT, users will now have access to curated summaries, quotes, and links to FT articles in response to relevant queries," stated the FT in a press release.

Meanwhile, other news outlets have a contrasting relationship with OpenAI. In December 2023, The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, claiming that ChatGPT reproduced Times content word-for-word. Subsequently, The Intercept, Raw Story, and AlterNet initiated a separate lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in February, making similar allegations.