OpenAI partners with Conde Nast

AI & NEWS

OpenAI and Condé Nast sign multi-year content partnership

OpenAI has entered into a multi-year partnership with Condé Nast, allowing the tech startup to feature content from the publisher’s brands, including Vogue, Wired, and the New Yorker, within its AI products such as ChatGPT and SearchGPT.

Here’s what you need to know

• The deal gives OpenAI access to Condé Nast's content, integrating it into AI tools like ChatGPT and the new SearchGPT.

• This partnership aims to enhance content discovery while ensuring proper attribution and compensation for the publisher.

• The deal contrasts with other media companies like The New York Times, which are pursuing legal action against OpenAI.

Content integration

OpenAI will incorporate Condé Nast's content across its platforms, ensuring accurate and quality reporting within AI-generated search results.

Financial terms and industry impact

While financial details remain undisclosed, the partnership is part of a broader trend where media outlets collaborate with tech firms to monetise their archives amidst the rise of generative AI.

Contrasting legal approaches

Unlike Condé Nast, some publishers, such as The New York Times, have opted for litigation against OpenAI for using their content without permission.

The digest

Shifting social media trends push comms to adapt strategies: Social media platforms like Meta and X penalise link posts, prompting publishers to seek new avenues, while ad budgets shift from X to Snapchat and Reddit amid rising engagement and referral traffic. Strategists must adapt as platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit gain traction, influencing content strategies and ad spending patterns.

Washington Post launches AI tool for data analysis in journalism: The Washington Post has introduced a new AI tool called Haystacker, enabling journalists to sift through vast data sets, including video, photos, and text, to uncover significant trends. This tool, developed in-house, highlights the company’s ability to create specialised AI tools tailored for journalism.

AI powers over a third of creative PR, but industry feels unprepared: A new study reveals that more than one-third of creative work in PR is now supported by AI, with 61% of professionals using AI to enhance creativity, despite 81% feeling unequipped to utilise its potential fully. The report highlights significant concerns around AI's impact, including IP issues, ethical challenges, and the risk of losing the "human touch" in creative processes.

X alternatives struggle to engage journalists as Threads proves underwhelming: Journalists fleeing X are exploring alternatives like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon, but many find these platforms lack the vibrancy and engagement of the original. While Threads, supported by its Instagram integration, has gained users, it is criticised for being "deathly dull," leading some to question its long-term appeal despite its rapid growth.

DEEPFAKES

Foreign actors use deepfakes to influence U.S. elections, Microsoft warns

Microsoft has identified foreign actors, including Russian and Iranian groups, using deepfakes to interfere in U.S. elections. This manipulation is raising concerns about AI-driven misinformation in politics.

Here’s what you need to know

• Microsoft highlights the use of deepfakes by foreign actors to sway public opinion and incite unrest in U.S. elections.

• A Chicago luncheon hosted by Microsoft will focus on educating women on recognising and reporting deepfakes, coinciding with the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

• AI manipulation has already impacted key elections, including incidents involving President Biden and Chicago’s mayoral candidate Paul Vallas.

Global challenge of AI misinformation

Ginny Badanes, leading Microsoft’s Democracy Forward Program, emphasises the global risks posed by AI-generated misinformation, particularly in election contexts.

Educational initiatives

To counteract these threats, Microsoft is hosting events like a luncheon in Chicago, aimed at educating women—who face disproportionate online harassment—on detecting and reporting deepfakes.

Real-world impact

Deepfakes have already affected significant elections. A notable example includes a false audio clip during Chicago’s mayoral election, damaging candidate Paul Vallas’ campaign. President Biden also faced deepfake attacks before his withdrawal from the reelection race.

Anticipated threats

Experts like Welton Chang warn that foreign influence operations could escalate during the Democratic National Convention, especially with the potential for protests and clashes. Furthermore, Chinese state actors are using social media to stoke outrage over pro-Palestinian protests in the U.S.

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