Guardian partners with media coalition to safeguard original journalism against unpaid AI usage.

A coalition consisting of several prominent media entities in the UK, including the Guardian, has issued a call for support from fellow industry members to endorse global frameworks that mandate AI companies to compensate for the journalism they utilize.

The news organizations are urging leaders across various domains—such as publishing, broadcasting, and media—to join their newly established group. The primary goal of this coalition is to safeguard “original journalism” and ensure the long-term viability of the journalism sector.

This coalition, which includes notable members such as the Guardian, the BBC, Financial Times, Sky News, and the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), has taken on the name Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (Spur). They are advocating for the development of global licensing frameworks aimed at providing AI companies access to high-quality journalism for various applications, including chatbots. A central tenet of their initiative is to ensure that publishers maintain control over their content and receive fair compensation whenever it is utilized.

An open letter authored by key figures such as Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC; Anna Bateson, the chief executive of the Guardian; David Rhodes, the executive chair of Sky News; Anna Jones, the chief executive of TMG; and Jon Slade, the chief executive of the Financial Times, warns that their industry’s business model has been gravely undermined by the rise of artificial intelligence.

“Throughout the industry, our reporting, archives, and original content have increasingly become foundational training material for AI systems,” they emphasize. “This material has been indiscriminately scraped, copied, and reused without any established standards for granting permission or compensation, thereby undermining the financial footing that supports journalism.”

The letter continues: “By collaborating across the industry, we have the potential to create systems that honor original reporting, maintain public trust, and allow both journalism and AI to coexist and thrive.”

Generative AI models, which serve as the backbone for prominent tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s video generator Veo3, require extensive datasets to train effectively and produce accurate output. The primary source of this information derives from the open web, encompassing a wide range of content, including entries from Wikipedia, videos from YouTube, newspaper articles, and other intellectual property like online book archives. Consequently, the creative and publishing sectors are compelling AI companies to obtain permission before using such works and to provide appropriate compensation for their use.

In addition to establishing licensing regimes, this coalition aims to facilitate the creation of technical instruments to safeguard intellectual property, ensure transparency in the use of journalistic materials, and develop mutually agreed-upon industry standards. Notably, both the Financial Times and the Guardian have formalized content licensing agreements with OpenAI to address these issues proactively.

The urgency of this call to action highlights the growing concern among media professionals regarding the implications of AI on journalism and the need for a structured approach to protect creative works. By fostering collaboration among media organizations and advocating for policies that prioritize the sustainability of journalism, the coalition hopes to navigate the challenges posed by AI technology while continuing to uphold the values that underpin ethical journalism.