Apple in talks to pay publishers for Siri AI content licensing

Apple is in talks to pay publishers to use their content to power the upcoming Siri AI, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The tech giant has reached out to publishers in recent months about using their content to provide Siri with access to current news and information.

Apple has proposed a variable compensation model that would pay publishers when their content is used, rather than through a fixed licensing fee. This marks a departure from the standard industry practice of guaranteed fees, which are generally tied to broad access to content, rather than a pay-as-you-go model. Apple has considered a nine-figure budget for the payments, the report says.

Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

The discussions come as Apple has been working to significantly enhance Siri, years after promising users a smarter and more capable AI assistant.

Siri AI is expected to roll out later this year.