Microsoft has launched a pilot platform that allows artificial intelligence developers to pay publishers for using licensed “premium content” to train their AI models, aiming to create a new revenue stream for media organisations while improving the quality of AI-generated responses.
The platform, called the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), will enable publishers to set their own pricing and licensing terms, according to a Microsoft blog post released on Tuesday. The voluntary marketplace is open to all types of publishers and is designed to give AI developers scaled access to authorised training data.
Microsoft said PCM will also provide publishers with insights into how their content is used for AI training, helping them better understand its value and determine appropriate licensing conditions. The company stressed that publishers will retain ownership of their content as well as full editorial independence.
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The initiative comes amid growing tensions between publishers and big technology companies over the use of copyrighted material for training large language models. Many AI systems have been developed using vast amounts of online data, including news content, often without explicit permission.
Several publishers have responded with legal action. The New York Times has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, while in India, members of the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), including The Indian Express, have challenged OpenAI over what they describe as the unlawful use of copyrighted material. At the same time, some major publishers have signed licensing agreements with AI companies to monetise their content.
Microsoft acknowledged that traditional models of content distribution are being disrupted by the rise of AI-powered search and conversational tools. “The open web was built on an implicit value exchange where publishers made content accessible, and distribution channels like search helped people find it,” the company said, adding that this model does not easily translate to an AI-first environment.
The technology giant said much authoritative content remains behind paywalls or within specialised archives, making sustainable and transparent licensing mechanisms increasingly important as AI adoption grows.
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Microsoft said PCM has been developed in partnership with several US-based publishers, including Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast and People. To assess the impact of licensed material, the company tested its Copilot AI chatbot using premium content and found that it significantly improved the quality of responses.
The company added that it plans to continue piloting the platform and is looking to onboard additional partners, including Yahoo, in the coming months.
#With inputs from Indian Express