Microsoft signs AI-Learning deal with News Corp.’s HarperCollins
Microsoft has struck a deal with News Corp.’s HarperCollins. allowing the software company to use nonfiction titles from the book publisher to train its artificial intelligence models, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Microsoft wants the HarperCollins books for a model it has not yet announced, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing plans that are not public. The company does not plan to use the content to generate new books without human authors, the person said. Microsoft declined to comment.
In a statement to Bloomberg News, HarperCollins confirmed it had reached an agreement with an undisclosed AI technology company that would “allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance .”
HarperCollins authors have the choice whether or not to participate, the company said.
“Part of our role is to provide authors with opportunities for consideration while protecting the underlying value of their works and our shared revenue and royalty streams,” HarperCollins said. “This agreement, with its limited scope and clear guardrails around model output that respects copyright, does that.”
Technology companies use a range of data, from social media sites to news articles, to train AI models, and companies like Microsoft are looking for additional sources of high-quality text that they can license to make their programs more accurate and capable to answer questions or provide expertise on specific topics.
News Corp. signed an agreement with OpenAI in May to let the company use content from more than a dozen of its publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and MarketWatch. OpenAI has also signed licensing agreements with publishers including Axel Springer SE, the Atlantic, Vox Media, Dotdash Meredith Inc., Hearst Communications Inc. and Time magazine. Microsoft has worked on AI initiatives with Reuters, Hearst and Axel Springer, who publish Business Insider and Politico.
Some publishers have taken issue with AI companies pulling in content without permission. The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. Perplexity AI, another AI startup, has faced similar lawsuits.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
