The generative artificial intelligence company OpenAI has been actively engaging with news publishers through its Preferred Publisher Program, as revealed in a leaked deck obtained by ADWEEK and insights from industry executives.
OpenAI’s initiative aims to form partnerships with select high-quality editorial partners to enhance the experience for users of its ChatGPT platform. Under this program, participating publishers receive priority placement in chat conversations, richer brand expression, and licensed financial terms from OpenAI.
The financial incentives for publishers consist of guaranteed value and variable value components. While the guaranteed value involves a licensing payment for accessing publishers’ data, the variable value is based on user engagement with displayed content. These elements combine to form an annual payment structure for publishers.
Participation in the Preferred Publisher Program allows OpenAI to train on a publisher’s content, display curated information in ChatGPT products with attribution and links, and announce the publisher as a preferred partner. This collaboration aims to drive engagement towards browsing, ultimately benefiting publishers through increased user interaction with linked content.
The program offers various content display products, including branded hover links, anchored links, and in-line treatments, to showcase publishers’ content within ChatGPT responses. These features aim to enhance user experience while maintaining attribution to the original publishers.
Despite the program’s benefits, the relationship between digital publishers and OpenAI remains complex, with legal concerns surrounding data scraping methodologies. While some publishers have embraced partnerships with OpenAI, others have pursued legal action, highlighting the evolving landscape of AI integration in the media industry.
Overall, OpenAI’s Preferred Publisher Program represents a strategic effort to foster collaborations with reputable news publishers, thereby shaping the future of AI-powered content experiences and user engagement.
