That’s apparently because Amazon has called in some favors with The New York Times. This partnership represents a significant step forward in the working relationship between AI and the world of media. As you might have guessed from the title, this deal is Amazon’s first licensing agreement focused generative AI. It’s The Times’ pioneering contract in this new field of technology. What we don’t know The actual terms of this agreement haven’t been released, so it’s hard to say what this could mean for either company.
Through this partnership, The Times’ delightful editorial content will flow organically into multiple Amazon customer experiences. This news comes to us in the wake of continued pressure from The Times. They’re mostly just concerned about big AI companies taking their articles and using them without compensation. Recently, the publication accused OpenAI and Microsoft of utilizing millions of their articles to train AI models without proper consent or compensation.
Rebecca Bellan, a senior transportation reporter at TechCrunch, gave helpful context about this new world being forged in real-time. Known for covering significant topics such as Tesla, AI, and Big Tech regulatory scrutiny, Bellan has noted the increasing intersection of technology and traditional media.
“bring Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences” – The New York Times
This unique licensing deal is an important step for cooperation between the technology and media industries. Together, they are charting a course in the rapidly evolving digital storm. Unfortunately, information about the content integration is still top secret. Yet, this partnership points to a growing trend in which media organizations and technology companies are opting to collaborate rather than compete.
Generative AI is fundamentally transforming the way we create, curate, and consume information. We hope that this partnership will lead to other similar and engaging in-kind partnership opportunities in the creative industry. Beyond content licensing, this deal has the potential to dramatically shift the balance of power. Perhaps most significantly, it could reframe the way that media companies engage with technology platforms.
