Amazon strikes its first AI-content deal with New York Times
What's the story
The New York Times has inked a deal with Amazon, allowing the tech giant to use its editorial content for training artificial intelligence (AI) models.
This is the first such deal for Amazon, though other companies like OpenAI have similar agreements with several publishers.
Notably, this also marks the first time The Times has entered into a licensing agreement specifically centered on generative AI.
Content scope
Deal covers a range of editorial content
The licensing deal with Amazon covers a wide range of The Times' editorial content.
This includes news articles, recipes from NYT Cooking, and sports coverage on The Athletic.
The agreement also extends to Alexa software on Amazon's smart speakers, bringing The Times' editorial content to various customer experiences offered by the tech giant.
Official statement
Spokesperson comments on the deal
Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for The Times, told TechCrunch that whenever it makes sense within the consumer experience on Amazon's products, they will provide direct links to Times products.
This way, readers can get the full Times experience, he added.
The specific terms of this licensing agreement have not been disclosed yet.
Past controversy
The Times sued OpenAI, Microsoft for using its content
The latest move from The Times comes nearly two years after it sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement.
The publication accused both companies of using millions of its articles to train their AI models without consent or compensation.
A spokesperson for The Times said they have a long-standing approach to ensure their work is valued appropriately, either through commercial deals or enforcing intellectual property rights.