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Time strikes a deal to funnel 101 years of journalism into OpenAI's gaping maw

It's the latest major publication to get paid from the ChatGPT maker.

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Time has joined a growing number of publications to sign a licensing deal with OpenAI. The ChatGPT creator will legally be able to train its large language models on 101 years worth of the storied publication's journalism, as Axios first reported.

OpenAI will also have access to real-time content from Time, with the apparent aim of answering user queries about breaking news. In return, OpenAI will cite Time and link back to source material on the publication's website.

Perhaps Time will get a monetary kickback too, like other publishers that have shuffled over to OpenAI with a ragged cap in hand and an eye on one a new revenue source for struggling media companies. The Atlantic, Vox Media, Wall Street Journal publisher News Corp, the Financial Times, People magazine publisher Dotdash Meredith and the AP have also been enticed by some snake oil bank deposits from OpenAI.

Time says the agreement builds on its "commitment to expanding global access to accurate and trusted information." It dropped its website paywall last year for the same reason.

The magazine, which is now published on a biweekly basis after being hit hard by the impact of the internet on print advertising, says it will have access to OpenAI's tech to "develop new products for its audiences." Time will also "provide vital feedback and share practical applications to refine and enhance the delivery of journalism in ChatGPT and other OpenAI products and shape the future of news experiences."

Some notable publishers have so far refused to bend the knee to OpenAI. The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News and others have sued the company and its partner Microsoft for copyright infringement, alleging that they trained AI chatbots on those publications' work without permission.

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