CNN and Google strike deal to test paid generative AI access to news
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CNN and Google will develop experimental generative AI features using the broadcaster’s journalism, in a multi-year partnership designed to expand audience discovery while recognising the value of its content.
CNN has struck a multi-year partnership with Google aimed at testing how generative artificial intelligence might help more people discover and engage with its journalism through Google’s products, while ensuring the broadcaster is paid for the use of its material. According to CNN’s announcement, the deal will give Google enhanced content rights so the companies can develop experimental features built around CNN’s reporting.
Sam Felix, CNN’s senior vice-president for strategic partnerships and business development, said the arrangement would open “new pathways” for audiences to reach the network’s journalism while recognising the value of its intellectual property. He added that Google’s work on generative AI had already changed how people find information and content, and that the collaboration would now be used to explore fresh ways of reaching audiences.
The agreement fits into CNN’s wider AI strategy, which seeks to examine the technology’s commercial possibilities without weakening control over its content. CNN has said it is also pursuing other commercial partnerships and remains in talks with companies it considers responsible users of AI, suggesting the Google deal is part of a broader effort to shape how news organisations are compensated when their material is used in emerging products.
The announcement also reflects a wider scramble across the media industry as publishers and broadcasters look for revenue opportunities in AI while protecting copyright and brand value. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the partnership signals that CNN wants to position its journalism for the next generation of search and discovery tools, as generative AI increasingly influences how audiences consume news.
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Source: Noah Wire Services · Original