DMG Media invests in publisher-friendly generative AI start-up ProRata

Press Gazette - November 21, 2024

DMG Media, publisher of Daily Mail, has made a substantial investment in ProRata.ai, an AI platform that intends to share revenue with publishers when their content is used in user queries. This move, which values ProRata.ai at around $130m, offers a potential solution for publishers who wish to benefit from AI-powered search without foregoing compensation; ProRata.ai plans to share half of its upcoming subscription revenue with its licensing partners. 

Read more at Press Gazette (4 mins)

UK Media Groups, Including Sky News and The Guardian, Partner With “Ethical AI” Company

The Hollywood Reporter - November 20, 2024

UK media giants Sky News, the Guardian Media Group, the Financial Times, and DMG Media have teamed up with LA-based tech firm ProRata.ai to ensure creators and publishers are compensated for the use of their work by AI systems. ProRata's unique technology identifies the use of copyright-protected content on AI platforms and compensates rights holders, aiming to prevent un-attributed, unreliable content from compromising AI results. 

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter (2 mins)

The Center for Journalism & Liberty at Open Markets urges DOJ to break Google’s search monopoly and address AI risks

Editor and Publisher - November 20, 2024

The Center for Journalism & Liberty (CJL) has penned a comprehensive letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, urging it to dismantle Google's monopoly over online search and search text advertising. The letter highlights the importance of restoring competition, addressing Google's anticompetitive behaviours, and preventing the tech giant from dominating emerging AI-assisted search markets.

Read more at Editor and Publisher (3 mins)

AI detection tool helps journalists identify and combat deepfakes

International Journalists' Network - 

The rising adoption of personalized content algorithms on social media platforms has amplified the spread of misinformation and deepfakes, creating a blurred line between real and fake news. TrueMedia, a non-profit organization, has developed an AI tool to detect manipulated content. However, experts caution that journalists must also investigate the sources and impacts of misinformation beyond fact-checking for its accuracy. 

Read more at International Journalists' Network (4 mins)

AI companies' media deals are "pure lobbying," argues journalism professor Jeff Jarvis

THE DECODER - November 24, 2024

Media critic Jeff Jarvis warns against the trend of AI companies partnering exclusively with significant publishers, arguing that this practice threatens journalism by excluding smaller outlets. Jarvis calls for a radical rethinking of journalism in the age of AI, suggesting a shift towards serving specific communities with tailored information and exploring innovative ways to harness AI for new business opportunities. 

Read more at THE DECODER (3 mins)

Journalism professors’ new film explores drones, AI and the future of war

University of Nevada, Reno - November 20, 2024

"Battles Beyond the Horizon," a thought-provoking documentary by two journalism faculty members, delves into the future of warfare, exploring how artificial intelligence and technology might soon render humans obsolete in certain military actions. The film, which was shot over eight years at various locations, including Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, has been screened internationally and bagged the Audience Choice award at the A.I. Film Festival in Park City, Utah. 

Read more at University of Nevada, Reno (3 mins)

Itching to write a book? AI publisher Spines wants to make a deal

TechCrunch - November 19, 2024

AI-powered self-publishing platform, Spines, has raised $16 million in a Series A funding round led by Zeev Ventures to expand its services, including audiobooks. The platform, which claims to offer all the services of a traditional publisher at a fraction of the time and cost, has published over 1,700 books since its launch in 2021, with revenues growing at a rate of 1,000%. 

Read more at TechCrunch (7 mins)

HarperCollins Asks Its Authors to Sell Books for AI Training

Observer - November 20, 2024

Publishing giant HarperCollins is offering authors the opportunity to license their works to tech companies to train AI models. A $5,000 fee per title will be split between the author and publisher. The move comes as AI developers seek high-quality content to improve their systems, and other publishers like Wiley and Taylor & Francis are also striking similar deals.

Read more at Observer (4 mins)

Written Abstracts of Your Work – CORRECTION

Daily Nous - news for & about the philosophy profession - November 18, 2024

Wiley, an academic publishing corporation, had been mistakenly accused of using AI to generate abstracts for its published works. The company clarified that these abstracts were actually created by their content team in cases where they didn't receive abstracts from contributors, and they are working on replacing these stand-in abstracts with the correct ones from the authors.

Read more at Daily Nous - news for & about the philosophy profession (3 mins)