Major publishers join global spur to block unauthorized AI use
Technology
The New York Times, The Economist, and Agence France-Presse just joined a global group called SPUR, which now has more than 80 members across over 20 countries.
Their goal? To make sure AI companies can't use news content without permission, and to set up fair rules and licensing deals so creators actually get paid.
Publishers track AI use, challenge OpenAI
SPUR was created because publishers are worried about AI tools grabbing their articles without permission.
They've built a system to track how AI uses news content, and they're pushing back legally against AI companies like OpenAI.
Meanwhile, traditional web traffic is dropping fast (Google search referrals fell 33% in a year), since more people are getting answers straight from AI instead of clicking through to real news sites.