Microsoft to Create AI Licensing Hub for Publishers and Content Creators
In a bid to tap into the vast world of artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft is now working on an app store that specializes in licensing AI content. The goal, as explained by the tech giant, is to provide publishers with a platform where they can set usage terms for their content while allowing AI companies to access premium content without any legal issues.
The project, dubbed the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), has been codesigned by Microsoft and several major media companies such as Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast, People, and others. This partnership is significant given that many of these companies have had to resort to filing lawsuits or licensing deals after witnessing a drop in traditional traffic due to the rise of AI-driven content consumption.
To facilitate this process, Microsoft is planning to onboard publishers like Yahoo as it continues to pilot its marketplace and expand further. When asked about how the PCM could interact with existing standards such as Really Simple Licensing (RSL), which also aims to keep digital media sustainable in an AI-first world, a spokesperson for the company said that they plan to work closely with publishing partners as they build their pilot experience.
The idea behind this licensing hub is to ensure that both content creators and AI companies can benefit from the digital content landscape. According to Microsoft, publishers will be paid based on delivered value, while AI builders gain scalable access to licensed premium content that improves their products. The company believes that this model is necessary given the shift in how answers are being delivered – primarily through conversations – a change that cannot be accommodated by an implicit value exchange of publishers making content accessible.
With its Publisher Content Marketplace, Microsoft is taking steps towards establishing a new norm for digital media consumption and licensing, one that balances the interests of both content creators and consumers of AI-driven services.
In a bid to tap into the vast world of artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft is now working on an app store that specializes in licensing AI content. The goal, as explained by the tech giant, is to provide publishers with a platform where they can set usage terms for their content while allowing AI companies to access premium content without any legal issues.
The project, dubbed the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), has been codesigned by Microsoft and several major media companies such as Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast, People, and others. This partnership is significant given that many of these companies have had to resort to filing lawsuits or licensing deals after witnessing a drop in traditional traffic due to the rise of AI-driven content consumption.
To facilitate this process, Microsoft is planning to onboard publishers like Yahoo as it continues to pilot its marketplace and expand further. When asked about how the PCM could interact with existing standards such as Really Simple Licensing (RSL), which also aims to keep digital media sustainable in an AI-first world, a spokesperson for the company said that they plan to work closely with publishing partners as they build their pilot experience.
The idea behind this licensing hub is to ensure that both content creators and AI companies can benefit from the digital content landscape. According to Microsoft, publishers will be paid based on delivered value, while AI builders gain scalable access to licensed premium content that improves their products. The company believes that this model is necessary given the shift in how answers are being delivered – primarily through conversations – a change that cannot be accommodated by an implicit value exchange of publishers making content accessible.
With its Publisher Content Marketplace, Microsoft is taking steps towards establishing a new norm for digital media consumption and licensing, one that balances the interests of both content creators and consumers of AI-driven services.