MEDIA NEWS ROUNDUP

► NYT may start litigation against Perplexity.

The New York Times sent the AI search company a cease and desist letter demanding they stop using the news organization’s content for generative AI. It’s the latest AI company in the news giant’s crosshairs. The Times is still engaged in a similar fight with OpenAI and Microsoft, trying to protect its reporting from being processed and monetized by AI companies without adequate compensation. Reportedly NYT’s lawyers are sifting through the ChatGPT creator’s source code as part of the litigation process.

More recently, Wall Street Journal and the New York Post have sued the AI search engine, Perplexity. Unlike the New York Times, the News Corp brands sued the AI because it hallucinates “fake news” and attributes it to real papers like WSJ and the NY Post. 

► Publishers are concerned Microsoft’s newsletter will pull readers (and revenue) from publishers

In early October, Microsoft released Copilot Daily, a news summarization feature powered by its GenAI, Copilot. Press Gazette now highlights concerns that the feature will add more distance between publishers and their audiences. Without an owned audience to see ads, purchase products, and pay for subscriptions, the publisher business model becomes even more precarious. Microsoft says it will be paying publishers for content that shows up in the daily news summary generator—but payment details are scarce, and publishers have made clear that checks from similar AI projects will not compensate for the disruption.

► Amazon’s AI tool now generates audio ads

Amazon sellers can now generate 30-second audio ads in its creative studio. Audio Generator ads can be used in podcasts or music streaming platforms. This launch follows Meta's recent introduction of GenAI Image and Video Expansion tools, indicating a broader shift toward AI-generated advertising content.

3 Action Items for Publishers, From the 2024 ‘A Media Operator’ Summit

Last week, operators from some of the country’s biggest publishers came together in part to discuss the thorniest topics in the industry, asking such titillating, terrifying questions as: What’s happening with search? How do we make money with live events? When will media M&A be back? How should we be using AI? Are we going to be OK? (Fine, nobody asked that last one out loud.)

The brightest people in the industry spoke candidly about the challenges content-based businesses face—and the strategies, products, and technology they’re using to flourish in the face of breakneck consumer trend cycles. Refact, the agency that helps publishers execute technical projects and also publishes Media Tech Report, was there as a presenting partner, taking notes on how publishers can use tech not only to withstand headwinds, but also to move their businesses forward with optimism and confidence.

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