Tech giant Apple is reportedly negotiating with major news publishers, such as Conde Nast, NBC News, and IAC, to obtain licenses for their news archives to train their generative AI systems. The negotiations involve multi-year deals worth at least$50 million, according to The New York Times.

While some news executives have expressed optimism about partnering with Apple, the response from publishers is mixed. Publishers are concerned about potential legal liabilities arising from Apple's use of their content since Apple's plans for news and generative AI are reportedly vague, adding to publishers' concerns.

Apple's recent AI efforts may have gained less attention than their competitors, such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. However, the company is actively investing in AI, reportedly spending millions of dollars daily on AI development. They have recently released a machine learning framework for building models optimised for Apple Silicon and are working on optimising the performance of language models (LLMs) on mobile devices. Additionally, Apple is allegedly developing an enhanced version of Siri and planning to introduce AI-focused features in the next major iOS release.

Why does it matter?

As Apple continues to invest in AI and develop AI-focused features, it is evident that they are determined to compete with other tech giants in the rapidly evolving AI space. It is worth noting that Apple is not the first tech company to collaborate with news organisations for AI initiatives. OpenAI has signed deals with the Associated Press and Politico parent company Axel Springer, while Google is also working on AI-powered tools to aid journalists.