2 weeks ago
Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers for AI-Powered Siri
Apple makes the iPhone and a smart voice assistant called Siri that answers questions.
Apple wants Siri to be smarter and able to give people up-to-date news.
To do that, Apple is talking to news companies about using their stories inside Siri.
Apple says it will pay these companies, but only when their stories are actually used.
That is different from how most AI companies pay, which is a fixed amount no matter what.
Some reports say Apple might spend up to $100 million on these deals.
Apple has worked with news companies before, such as through Apple News+, which started in 2019 and included The Wall Street Journal as one of the first participants.
Last year, Apple launched a feature that wrote AI news summaries, but it made mistakes, so Apple turned it off.
Apple also partnered with Google to use its Gemini models for the new Siri, which was announced at WWDC 2024.
The new Siri AI is expected to come out later this year.
Apple is in talks with news publishers about multiyear deals to license content for its AI-powered Siri assistant, which is expected to roll out later this year.
Apple has proposed a variable, pay-per-use compensation plan that would pay partner publishers when their content is used, with a possible nine-figure budget, potentially up to $100 million, discussed.
Apple declined to comment on the negotiations, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Apple's pay-as-you-go model departs from standard AI licensing agreements, which typically include guaranteed fees tied to broad access to content.
In late 2024, Apple disabled AI-generated news roundups after the feature published erroneous headlines, raising concern among publishers.
- Who
- Apple and news publishers, including The Wall Street Journal through its owner News Corp, which has a commercial agreement to supply news through Apple services.
- What
- Negotiating multiyear deals to license publisher content to deliver current news and information through an upgraded, AI-powered Siri.
- Where
- Not specified in the articles; the negotiations involve Apple and publishers across the news industry.
- When
- In recent months; the AI-powered Siri upgrade is expected to roll out later this year, potentially in September with the iPhone 18 Pro series.
- Why
- To improve Siri, which has long been criticized for its lack of utility, by integrating AI and current news more closely into Apple customers' lives.
Apple's Approach
Publishers' Preferences
Compensation model
Apple's Approach
Apple proposes variable payments, compensating publishers only when their content is actually used.
Publishers' Preferences
Standard licensing models between large AI companies and news organizations include guaranteed fees tied to broad access to content, rather than a pay-as-you-go model.
AI-generated news reliability
Apple's Approach
Apple is expanding AI-powered news features, including AI-generated news roundups, to boost Siri's utility.
Publishers' Preferences
Publishers expressed concern after Apple's late-2024 AI news roundups published erroneous headlines, prompting Apple to disable the feature.
Key facts
- Company
- Apple Inc.
- Deal type
- Multiyear content licensing agreements with news publishers
- Compensation model
- Variable pay-per-use payments made when publisher content is used
- Budget
- Nine-figure budget, potentially up to $100 million
- Siri AI rollout
- Expected later this year, possibly September with iPhone 18 Pro
- First reported by
- The Wall Street Journal
- Siri AI partnership
- Google's Gemini models, announced at WWDC 2024
- 2024 AI news feature
- Disabled after publishing erroneous headlines
Sources
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