OpenAI, the creator of AI language model ChatGPT, has signed a licensing deal with The Associated Press (AP) for access to its news story archive, in order to help train OpenAI's AI systems, the companies announced on Thursday.
As part of the agreement, AP's text archive will be incorporated into OpenAI's licensing and the AI company will provide technology and product support to AP. The specifics of this technological collaboration are still under wraps.
In a joint statement, both organizations emphasized their belief in the responsible development and usage of AI systems. They acknowledged that they both stand to benefit from each other's well-established industry expertise.
For OpenAI and similar companies, the training and advancement of their AI systems often involve the processing of extensive bodies of text like news articles, books, and social media content. AP, while granting this access, maintains that it does not deploy AI in creating its news stories. It is reportedly scrutinizing the standards concerning generative AI, as per the joint announcement.
OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer, Brad Lightcap, lauded the crucial role of journalism and expressed excitement about learning from AP's experiences in using AI models positively in the news industry. "With AP’s leadership in AI usage and its quality factual text archive, we aim to enhance the capabilities and relevance of OpenAI’s systems,” he commented.
This collaboration comes against the backdrop of a Federal Trade Commission investigation into OpenAI over alleged misleading privacy practices or consumer harm, as reported by The Washington Post on the same day.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns over the training processes of AI large language models and the potential for misinformation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) warned of AI systems offering a facade of accuracy while perpetuating errors.
Additionally, book authors have started demanding compensation for their works being used in AI training. A recent letter from a group of 4,000 writers addressed to OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta and others reflected these worries.
Comedian Sarah Silverman recently sued OpenAI for copyright violation, alleging unauthorized use of her 2010 book for AI training, likely sourced from pirated works.
In an earlier session with the Senate Judiciary Committee, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the importance of government intervention in mitigating risks associated with powerful AI systems.
Neither AP nor OpenAI revealed the financial details of their agreement.