이미지: TechCrunch AI
Summary
- Apple is negotiating content licensing fees with news publishers to add real-time news to Siri AI, according to a WSJ report
- Apple reportedly proposed a variable payment structure — paying each time content is actually used — rather than a fixed licensing fee
- The negotiation budget was reportedly considered in nine figures, meaning over $100 million, with the new Siri AI expected to launch in the second half of this year
- 보도
- 월스트리트저널(WSJ)이 애플-언론사 협상 사실 보도
- 지불 방식
- 콘텐츠 사용 시마다 지급하는 가변형 모델
- 검토 예산
- 9자리 수(1억 달러 이상) 규모
- 시리 AI 출시 시점
- 올해 하반기 예정
What happened
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is negotiating content usage fees with news publishers to bring real-time news to Siri AI. Apple has reportedly reached out to multiple outlets in recent months, proposing that their content be incorporated into Siri so it can answer questions with up-to-date news and information. According to the report, Apple proposed a variable payment structure that pays publishers each time their content is actually used. This differs from the industry's typical licensing practice of paying a fixed sum upfront in exchange for guaranteed full access. Apple is reported to have considered a budget in nine figures — more than $100 million — for these payments.
What this means
Siri has for years been seen as a stagnant AI assistant that failed to deliver on promises of getting smarter. Apple is currently working on a major overhaul of Siri, with the new Siri AI expected to launch in the second half of this year. The challenge is that large language models don't know about events that occurred after their training cutoff. Answering questions about real-time news or information requires "grounding" — pulling in up-to-date external data to base responses on. This is the same reason OpenAI signed a content licensing deal with News Corp, and Perplexity struck deals with multiple publishers. However, those deals typically guaranteed broad content access in exchange for a fixed payment. Apple's proposed usage-based payment model is the opposite: compensation would vary depending on how much a given article is actually cited and used, meaning frequently cited outlets would earn more while less-used ones would earn less.
Why it matters
If the negotiations are finalized, Siri could be reborn as an AI assistant capable of answering real-time news questions. At the same time, this negotiation approach could set a new benchmark for how AI companies and publishers value content. If usage-based settlement becomes standard, publishers would have to accept revenue tied to exposure rather than stable, fixed income. How Apple concludes this experiment could also influence how other AI companies price news content going forward.
