“It is critical that we meet audiences where they are and embrace new technologies while ensuring proper attribution and compensation for the use of our intellectual property,” Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch wrote in an email to all company. Lynch pointed to the ongoing upheaval in the publishing industry while discussing the deal, noting that technology companies have made it harder for publishers to make money, most recently with changes in traditional search.
“Our partnership with OpenAI begins to offset some of that revenue, allowing us to continue to protect and invest in our journalism and creative endeavors,” he wrote.
Specific terms of the partnership have not been disclosed. OpenAI declined to comment on the terms of the deal.
“The growing penetration of AI in journalism is a serious concern for our members at the NewsGuild of New York. We expect Condé management to be transparent with us about how this technology will be used and the impact it may have on our work,” said Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild in New York, which represents unionized editorial staff at Condé Nast . “We are seeking further details on Condé’s OpenAI deal to ensure our members’ rights are protected.”
As OpenAI noted in a blog post announcing the deal, this isn’t the first media company to team up with a generative AI company. Publishers such as The Atlantic, Axel Springer and TIME have already struck deals, as have platforms such as Reddit and Automattic, owner of WordPress.com and Tumblr. Most large AI companies have traditionally collected training data by scouring the internet without first licensing the copyrighted material. This has led to a wave of lawsuits against the companies, including from other news outlets like The New York Times, who claim the practice is unfair — and now, an ever-growing wave of publishers choosing to partner with the biggest AI players .
