Apple has initiated discussions with various news publishers to secure multiyear licensing agreements for current news and information, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. These agreements are intended to supply content for an enhanced version of Siri, Apple's voice assistant, which is expected to launch later this year. The company has discussed allocating a budget in the nine-figure range for these payments.
The proposed payment structure differs from typical licensing deals between artificial intelligence companies and news organizations. Rather than offering guaranteed fees for broad content access, Apple has suggested a variable compensation model where publishers would receive payments when their content is specifically used by Siri. This approach could offer publishers greater transparency into how frequently an AI service utilizes their reporting.
Apple's move follows an earlier attempt to integrate AI-generated news summaries, which resulted in inaccurate headlines and prompted complaints from publishers in late 2024. Apple subsequently disabled that feature. The current discussions suggest a shift towards relying on professionally produced and verified content to improve Siri's accuracy and utility.
The company has engaged with publishers in recent months as it prepares for a significant AI upgrade to Siri. This overhaul aims to integrate AI more deeply into Apple products and address long-standing criticisms regarding Siri's limited functionality. Securing timely, reliable information from news organizations is a strategic step to enhance Siri's ability to respond to questions about current events.
Apple has a history of collaborating with publishers. The company launched its Apple News+ subscription service in 2019, and while some publishers have since exited the service, it has generated revenue for several news and magazine companies. Earlier agreements also included rights for Apple to use publisher content for AI training purposes. News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, has an existing commercial agreement to provide news through Apple services.
The discussions highlight a broader industry trend where technology companies are pursuing content partnerships to support and expand their AI services. Publishers, in turn, are increasingly seeking compensation for the use of their journalism by AI products, creating a new potential revenue stream. This comes as AI-powered search products also pose a threat to referral traffic for news websites.
Apple declined to comment on the ongoing discussions. The exact financial terms and other details of any potential agreements have not been disclosed. The outcome of these talks could influence how other AI developers approach content licensing with news organizations.