The New York Times (NYT) has announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Amazon (AMZN, Financial), allowing the tech giant to utilize its news content on AI platforms. This marks the first time the publication has licensed its content for generative AI use. The deal includes news reports and content from sub-brands like NYT Cooking and The Athletic. Amazon will integrate these summaries and excerpts into products such as the Alexa voice assistant, aiding in the training of its proprietary large language models.
Amazon's move reflects its ongoing focus on expanding AI news applications, adding to its recent launches like Alexa+, Nova models, Trainium chips, and the Bedrock platform. Although the financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement is a critical step in Amazon’s AI strategy. This collaboration comes as the New York Times and other media outlets, such as the New York Daily News and the Center for Investigative Reporting, have pursued legal action against companies like Microsoft (MSFT) and OpenAI for unauthorized use of news content for AI training. In response to AI's impact on the news industry, more media organizations are opting for licensing agreements with tech companies instead of litigation.
