Amazon’s Reported Plans
Amazon is considering a marketplace that would let publishers license their content directly to AI companies, according to The Information, as technology firms continue to look for legally safer sources of training data amid lawsuits and copyright disputes.
The Information reported on Monday that Amazon has been meeting with publishing executives and has told them about plans to launch such a marketplace. Ahead of an AWS conference for publishers that took place on Tuesday, Amazon circulated slides that mentioned a “content marketplace,” the outlet wrote. The report did not describe a launch date or commercial terms.
Amazon’s Response To Questions
When TechCrunch asked about the report, an Amazon spokesperson did not deny it and did not confirm the product. The spokesperson said, “Amazon has built long-lasting, innovative relationships with publishers across many areas of our business, including AWS, Retail, Advertising, AGI, and Alexa. We are always innovating together to best serve our customers, but we have nothing specific to share on this subject at this time.”
Microsoft’s Existing Marketplace
Amazon would not be the first large technology company to set up a licensing venue for publishers and AI developers. Microsoft recently launched what it calls a Publisher Content Marketplace. Microsoft said the service will give publishers “a new revenue stream” and will provide AI systems with “scaled access to premium content.” The company also said the marketplace is designed to “empower publishers with a transparent economic framework for licensing” their content.
Licensing Deals And Ongoing Disputes
The interest in marketplaces and licensing deals follows earlier efforts by AI developers to address how copyrighted material appears in training data. Several companies have already signed agreements with media groups. OpenAI has announced content-licensing partnerships with the Associated Press, Vox Media, News Corp, and The Atlantic, among others.
Those agreements have not stopped legal disputes. The use of copyrighted material in AI systems has led to many lawsuits, and courts are still working through the questions involved. At the same time, new regulatory approaches continue to be proposed to address the issue.
Publishers’ Traffic Concerns
Publishers have also raised concerns about how AI-generated summaries affect their businesses. They have pointed to summaries that appear in search results, including those shown by Google, and have said these features may reduce visits to their sites. One recent study said such summaries have had a “devastating” effect on click-through rates to websites. The Information reported that some publishers may see a marketplace-based licensing system as a more sustainable business option than current, more limited deals, and as a way to increase revenue as AI use grows.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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