Google has announced its commitment to negotiate media payments with local news organizations in response to the changing landscape of media consumption and the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into content creation. This decision comes as Facebook’s owner Meta plans to end annual payments of around US$70 million to news publishers.
Melanie Silva, Google’s Australian head, revealed this decision, emphasizing the ongoing nature of negotiations and Google’s dedication to compliance with the law. Silva praised Australia’s bargaining code as innovative, setting a positive tone for future discussions with local news organizations.
However, discussions regarding compensating content used to train AI models, specifically generative AI that develops new images, text, and video, are still in the early stages. Silva stressed the importance of regulations that promote commercial opportunities and technological development without hindering progress.
The adoption of AI in businesses gained momentum in late 2022 with the introduction of ChatGPT. Lan Guan, Accenture’s chief AI officer, highlighted ChatGPT’s user-friendly interface, which has broadened AI’s appeal to non-tech experts. Accenture has developed an internal sales response tool using AI to handle initial client inquiries, reflecting the growing trend of companies exploring AI applications.
The topic of AI compensation has garnered international attention, with major companies like Apple and media giants including Condé Nast and NBC News engaging in preliminary discussions. In contrast, The New York Times has taken a more aggressive approach by suing OpenAI and Microsoft for using its content without compensation.
Legal expert Gavin Smith, in collaboration with Silva, predicted that the industry would eventually establish commercial agreements to fairly compensate content creators for their contributions to AI development. Smith warned of potential negative impacts on creative industries without such compensation and suggested that government intervention might be necessary to address these concerns.
