As news organizations wrestle with the potential opportunities and hazards created by the use of artificial intelligence, the Associated Press and OpenAI have reached an agreement to share access to select news content and technology.
AP and the parent company of ChatGPS also said that they plan to examine potential use cases for generative AI in news products and services.
The agreement marks a notable alliance between a major news organization and a leader in generative AI.
As part of the agreement, OpenAI is licensing part of AP’s text archive, while AP will leverage OpenAI’s technology and product expertise.
Both organizations said they will benefit from each other’s established expertise in their respective industries, and stressed that they believe in the responsible creation and use of these AI systems.
The collaboration also builds upon AP’s efforts over nearly a decade to use automation to make its journalism more effective, as well as help local news outlets integrate the technology into their operations.
AP also stressed that it continues to look closely at standards around generative AI and reiterated that it does not use it in generative AI in news stories.
“Generative AI is a fast-moving space with tremendous implications for the news industry. We are pleased that OpenAI recognizes that fact-based, nonpartisan news content is essential to this evolving technology, and that they respect the value of our intellectual property,” said Kristin Heitmann, AP senior vice president and chief revenue officer. “AP firmly supports a framework that will ensure intellectual property is protected and content creators are fairly compensated for their work. News organizations must have a seat at the table to ensure this happens, so that newsrooms large and small can leverage this technology to benefit journalism.”
The agreement comes as generative AI has taken off as a way to streamline operations and create new images and text. While that has opened up creative opportunities, it has also raised concern about improper use of copyrighted material and the potential use of those tools to create misinformation.
“OpenAI is committed to supporting the vital work of journalism, and we’re eager to learn from The Associated Press as they delve into how our AI models can have a positive impact on the news industry,” said Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI. “The AP continues to be an industry leader in the use of AI; their feedback—along with access to their high-quality, factual text archive—will help to improve the capabilities and usefulness of OpenAI’s systems.”
The Associated Press said that it has used AI technology for nearly a decade to automate some rote tasks and free up journalists to do more meaningful reporting.
AP began automating corporate earnings reports in 2014 and subsequently added automated stories previewing and recapping some sporting events, thereby expanding its content offering. Additionally, AP uses AI technology to aid in the transcription of audio and video from live events like press conferences.
In May, AP launched an AI-enabled search capability on its multiformat content delivery platform AP Newsroom, which can yield precise results for search queries based on descriptive language.
Through its Local News AI project, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, AP also helps local newsrooms integrate AI to be more effective and efficient. Examples include automating the writing of public safety incidents, the transcription of public meetings, and the translation of weather alerts into Spanish.
A deeper dive into the potential impact of AI in the media and entertainment industries can be found in the July issue of TV tech, which has a cover story and several other articles on the subject.
