NEW YORK – OpenAI has struck a multi-year deal with Condé Nast to allow the Microsoft-backed startup to use content from media brands including The New Yorker, Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and Bon Appétit. Under the agreement announced on Tuesday, OpenAI will have permission to display content from Condé Nast’s stable of media properties in its artificial intelligence-powered products, including ChatGPT and its SearchGPT prototype.

Sam Altman-led OpenAI and Condé Nast did not disclose the terms of the deal. “We’re committed to working with Condé Nast and other news publishers to ensure that as AI plays a larger role in news discovery and delivery, it maintains accuracy, integrity, and respect for quality reporting,” OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said in a statement posted on the startup’s website.

In a memo to staff, Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch said it is important to embrace new technologies and protect intellectual property at a time when tech companies are eroding media companies’ ability to monetize content. “Our partnership with OpenAl begins to make up for some of that revenue, allowing us to continue to protect and invest in our journalism and creative endeavors,” Lynch said.

“Throughout the process OpenAl has shown that they too are very committed to this mission. They have been transparent and willing to productively work with publishers like us so that the public can receive reliable information and news through their platforms.” The announcement follows similar deals between OpenAI and The Financial Times, the Associated Press, Vox, Axel Springer, News Corp, Politico, Le Monde and Prisa Media.

Several other media groups, including The New York Times, The Intercept, the Chicago Tribune and Center for Investigative Reporting, have sued OpenAI, accusing the startup of using their content without permission or compensation. The Authors Guild and a group of prominent authors, including Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham and George RR Martin, have also filed a lawsuit accusing the company of copyright infringement. (Aljazeera)…[+]