The New York Times Company agreed on May 29 to license its editorial content to Amazon. The news agency revealed it would allow Amazon to use its editorial content on its artificial intelligence platforms.
The news organization said the agreement will bring editorial content to various Amazon customer experiences. The New York Times also revealed that besides articles, the agreement encompasses materials from NYT Cooking, The Time’s food and recipe site, and The Athletic, which focuses on sports.
The Times editorial content to train Amazon’s AI models
The New York Times Company and Amazon Announce Licensing Agreement.https://t.co/piYGWoBslA
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) May 29, 2025
The Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in 2023 for copyright infringement but has changed course and is now letting its editorial content appear across Amazon platforms. The news company accused the tech companies of using millions of articles published by The Times to train automated chatbots without compensation.
Both tech companies have rejected those accusations. NYT recorded $4.4 million in pretax litigation costs in the first quarter related to its copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI.
The firm acknowledged that it was the first time the Times agreed to a licensing agreement focusing on generative AI technology. The New York Times did not disclose the financial terms of the licensing deal with Amazon.
“The deal is consistent with our long-held principle that high-quality journalism is worth paying for. It aligns with our deliberate approach to ensuring that our work is valued appropriately, whether through commercial deals or through the enforcement of our intellectual property rights.”
–Meredith Kopit Levien, Chief Executive of The Times.
The company said that Amazon’s use of its editorial content could extend to the Alexa software found on its smart speakers. The Times also noted that materials from its editorial content will also be used to train Amazon’s property AI models.
Media companies explore licensing opportunities with AI companies
The Times’ approach to AI reflects the various steps that media companies are taking towards artificial intelligence. Last month, the Washington Post entered into a strategic partnership with OpenAI to make its editorial content more accessible in ChatGPT. The firm said ChatGPT will display summaries, quotes, and links to original reports from the Washington Post in response to relevant search queries.
Vox Media also signed a content licensing deal with OpenAI in May 2024. The firm’s president, Pam Wasserstein, said the deal gives the AI company access to Vox’s current content, as well as the entire archive of its journalistic work, to train ChatGPT and other models. The Atlantic Union signed a similar deal with the Microsoft0backed AI giant during the same period.
Communications chair of Vox’s union, Amy McCarthy, argued that the media companies had aired concerns about the environmental impact of the power needed to run large language models, such as those at OpenAI. She added that publishers that strike deals with AI providers must discuss and negotiate with unions about the changes.
The Atlantic Union suggested last year that AI shouldn’t be used to replace writing, fact-checking, copy editing, and illustrations. The firm also proposed that writers should use AI at their discretion, in accordance with journalistic principles and ethics, but they can’t be made to use it.
Principal of YPB Global LLC and FIPP chair Yulia Petrossian Boyle believes that content creators and AI companies will deepen their relationships over the next few years. Boyle also argued that as AI players try to secure more original content, those relationships must transition from one-off deals to well-structured, ethical partnerships with strict IP protection and meaningful revenue for publishers.
DCN contributor Daman Radcliffe points out that AI licensing agreements for some media companies offer an alluring mix of copyright protection and monetization opportunities. He noted that publishers are discovering they must balance the potential for monetization with the need to protect intellectual property rights and ensure responsible AU usage.
According to a recent INMA report, companies considering licensing deals need to understand the value of their content in an AI-driven market. They also have to negotiate attribution and compensation models that align with business goals. The report emphasizes the importance of advocating for responsible AI practices, including transparency in data usage.
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