Microsoft says it’s building an app store for AI content licensing

Microsoft says it is moving connected the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensing hub that shows usage position group by publishers. That way, AI companies tin easy shop the position and group up deals to usage online contented for “grounding” their AI models, while the contented owners get usage-based reporting to thief group prices.

Microsoft says it’s been codesigning PCM pinch companies including Verge parent Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast, People, and others. The AI roar has been mostly fueled by contented ingested without payment, and galore of the antecedently mentioned publishers person revenge lawsuits and/or arranged contented licensing deals arsenic postulation from accepted sources drops. Some, for illustration The New York Times and The Intercept, person revenge copyright lawsuits against some Microsoft and OpenAI.

There’s besides a publisher-backed unfastened modular called Really Simple Licensing (RSL) that lays retired a model aimed astatine keeping the integer media business sustainable successful the property of AI. It builds licensing position into a publisher’s website, dictating really bots should pay to scrape their sites, but Microsoft’s announcement didn’t mention how, aliases if, that could interact pinch the PCM. The Verge reached retired to Microsoft pinch a petition for much information, but didn’t instantly perceive back.

According to Microsoft, pinch this setup, “publishers will beryllium paid connected delivered value, and AI builders summation scalable entree to licensed premium contented that improves their products.” The institution adds that PCM will “support publishers of each sizes,” including ample organizations and independent publications.

“The unfastened web was built connected an implicit worth speech wherever publishers made contented accessible, and distribution channels — for illustration hunt — helped group find it,” Microsoft writes. “That exemplary does not construe cleanly to an AI-first world, wherever answers are progressively delivered successful a conversation.”

Microsoft says it has started to onboard partners, including Yahoo, arsenic it continues piloting the marketplace and is looking to grow further.