The New York Times and Amazon Sign AI Licensing Agreement

The New York Times has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with Amazon, allowing the tech giant to use its editorial content for AI training and customer experiences. This marks the first time The Times has agreed to a generative AI-focused licensing arrangement. The deal will enable Amazon to incorporate content from The Times, including news articles, NYT Cooking, and The Athletic, into various customer experiences, such as Alexa software on smart speakers.

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, The Times emphasized that the deal aligns with its approach to ensuring its work is appropriately valued, whether through commercial deals or the enforcement of intellectual property rights. This agreement follows The Times' previous lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, accusing them of using its articles to train AI models without consent or compensation.

Amazon's use of The Times' content will include providing direct links to Times products where applicable, allowing readers to access the full Times experience. This partnership is part of Amazon's broader strategy to enhance its AI capabilities and customer offerings.