Recently, tech giant Apple has once again been in the spotlight, but this time not because of its iPhone, but because of its big move in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). According to foreign media reports, Apple is secretly negotiating with major news and publishing institutions around the world, intending to use the content data of these institutions to "charge" its generative AI system.
Spend a lot of money, and it's about data
In order to obtain these valuable data resources, Apple did not hesitate to spend at least $50 million in multi-year agreements. Targets are heavyweights such as Condé Nast (publisher of Vogue and The New Yorker), NBC News, and IAC, which owns magazines such as People and The Daily Beast.
Generative AI: The Next Blue Ocean
Generative AI has been one of the hottest topics in the tech world in recent years, allowing computers to create images, text, and even dialogue just like humans. OpenAI's GPT series is a leader in this field, Microsoft has relied on ChatGPT to gain a competitive advantage, Google has also begun to show its advantages with the help of Bard and Google Gemini, and Meta and Amazon have their own AI models. Apple, as an American technology giant, obviously does not want to miss this wave of technological dividends.
Publishers' doubts
In the face of Apple's olive branch, some publishers are hesitant. After a complicated partnership with tech companies like Meta, they have become more cautious about new collaborations with Silicon Valley. According to reports, publishers are mainly concerned that the terms of the contract may be too broad, leading them to be legally liable for content usage issues.
Apple's "fuzzy strategy".
People familiar with the matter also revealed that Apple has been vague about its specific plans for how it will use generative AI in the news industry during the negotiations. This makes it even more worrying for publishers, as Apple has a large news audience, and any new move could have a profound impact on the publishing industry. Because Apple's approach is obviously more beneficial to Apple.
Optimistic outlook
Still, there are publishing executives who are optimistic about the partnership with Apple. They believe that if an agreement can be reached, it will not only bring new business models to the press and publishing industry, but also may promote technological innovation in the entire industry.
Apple's engagement with major news and publishing agencies does indicate that it is looking to make a breakthrough in the field of generative AI. However, the success of this move will depend on Apple's ability to reach mutually beneficial cooperation agreements with publishers and how it can use these resources to develop competitive AI products. But it will take time to see if this strategy will succeed.