AI News Monitor

The New York Times Company has announced a multiyear agreement to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. The deal marks the Times’ first major AI-focused licensing arrangement, signaling a strategic shift in how the news organization monetizes its journalism in the age of generative AI.

Under the agreement, Amazon will gain access to content from The New York Times, NYT Cooking, and The Athletic, integrating it into various customer experiences—potentially including Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant. Some uses of the content will include attribution and links back to the Times’ website, while other material will be used to train Amazon’s proprietary AI models.

A Contrast to Litigation Against OpenAI

The deal stands in contrast to the Times’ ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, filed in 2023, alleging that the companies used millions of Times articles to train AI models without permission or compensation. While the Times pursues legal action against some AI firms, it is also embracing licensing as a way to generate revenue from its content.

“This deal is consistent with our long-held principle that high-quality journalism is worth paying for,” said Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of The New York Times Company, in a staff memo. “It aligns with our deliberate approach to ensuring that our work is valued appropriately.”

Amazon’s AI Ambitions

Amazon has been playing catch-up in the AI race since OpenAI’s ChatGPT sparked an industry boom in late 2022. While the company has vast cloud computing resources, it has lagged behind competitors like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google in AI development.

To bolster its efforts, Amazon has acquired key talent from AI startups, including Adept and Covariant, and invested $4 billion in Anthropic, a rival to OpenAI. The company is also developing artificial general intelligence (AGI)—a machine capable of human-level reasoning—through a new research lab led by AI experts David Luan and Pieter Abbeel.

The Times’ licensed content could help train Amazon’s AI models, giving them access to high-quality journalism—a valuable resource for improving accuracy and depth in AI-generated responses.

The Broader Media Landscape

The deal reflects a growing divide in how news organizations are responding to AI. While some, like Axel Springer and News Corp, have struck licensing agreements, others remain wary of AI’s impact on journalism. The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, recently signed a deal with OpenAI, further highlighting the industry’s shifting dynamics.

As AI continues to evolve, The New York Times’ partnership with Amazon demonstrates a pragmatic approach—balancing legal protection of intellectual property with new revenue opportunities in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.