Apple seeks publisher deals to train Siri with news content
What's the story
Apple is reportedly in talks with news publishers for new multiyear deals. According to The Wall Street Journal, the agreements would give the tech giant access to their content, which it plans to use in improving its artificial intelligence-powered Siri voice assistant. The move comes as part of Apple's plan to roll out a major AI upgrade for Siri later this year.
Payment structure
Variable compensation model proposed
The proposed deals would allow Apple to use publishers' current news and information for the revamped assistant.
The company has suggested a variable compensation model, wherein participating publishers would be paid whenever their content is used.
According to reports, Apple has even discussed a budget running into hundreds of millions of dollars for such payments.
Unique strategy
Apple's approach differs from typical tech-publisher licensing deals
The proposed arrangement with publishers is different from the usual AI content-licensing deals between tech companies and news organizations.
Usually, these agreements involve guaranteed fees in exchange for broad access to publishers' content.
However, Apple's strategy focuses on payments based on individual usage, a model that could potentially offer more financial benefits to participating publishers.
Addressing criticism
Addressing criticism of Siri's capabilities
The discussions with publishers come as Apple tries to address long-standing criticism that Siri has been less capable and useful than other AI assistants.
The company has already announced a major upgrade for Siri, aimed at integrating AI more deeply into user interactions with its devices and services.
This move is part of Apple's broader strategy to enhance the capabilities of its voice assistant.
Past experiences
Apple's history with content access payments and collaborations
Apple has previously paid publishers for content access, including rights to use material for AI training.
The company has also collaborated with publishers through Apple News+, its paid news and magazine subscription service launched in 2019.
However, it's worth noting that Apple had a setback in late 2024 when it tested AI-generated news summaries for users.
The feature generated inaccurate headlines, prompting concerns among publishers and leading Apple to disable it.