Microsoft has just announced the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM) test, a new content market platform, that allows artificial intelligence (AI) developers to pay to use premium content from publishers to train models.
This move is seen as a strategic step in the context of increasing tensions between the publishing industry and major technology companies due to copyright issues and AI training data.
According to Microsoft, PCM is designed as a content licensing center where publishers can proactively set terms of use, prices and licensing scope for their content.
In return, AI companies will have legal access to high-quality training data, helping to improve the accuracy and value of large language models (LLM).
Microsoft affirms that this platform will open up new revenue sources for publishers, while bringing more transparency in data exploitation.
A noteworthy point is that PCM also provides detailed information on how the content is used in AI training.
This allows publishers to assess the actual value of data, thereby building a more effective pricing and licensing strategy.
Microsoft emphasizes that this platform is voluntary, open to many different types of publishers, while ensuring they retain content ownership and independent editing.
The PCM initiative was born in the context of increasingly fierce confrontation between publishers and Big Tech.
Many AI models today are trained by collecting data from the internet, including press content without permission. This has led to a series of lawsuits for the illegal use of copyrighted content.
Along with the lawsuits, some major publishers have chosen to sign commercial agreements with AI companies, allowing content licensing to train models to generate alternative revenue.
Microsoft believes that the traditional web model, based on value exchange between publishers and search engines, is facing challenges as users gradually switch to searching for answers through AI chatbots instead of directly accessing the website.
To prove the effectiveness of premium content, Microsoft said it has partnered with many major publishers in the US such as Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast and People.
The company has conducted Copilot chatbot training tests using licensed content and found that the quality of feedback has improved significantly, especially in in-depth and context-rich topics.
In the near future, Microsoft plans to expand its network of partners, including Yahoo and other publishers, to complete the AI content market model on a larger scale.
