Apple Proposes Pay-Per-Use Model for News Publishers on Siri AI
Apple is in discussions with news publishers about multiyear deals that would pay them each time their content is used by Siri, potentially totaling a nine-figure budget. This proposed structure diverges from the traditional guaranteed fees for broad access model common in the industry.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has approached publishers in recent months, offering variable compensation where payment is tied to actual usage rather than a fixed licensing fee. This pay-per-use model could significantly benefit publishers who dominate a news cycle, while those with less frequent uses would earn less.
Background and Similar Efforts:
While this isn’t Apple’s first foray into AI content acquisition, previous deals focused on training rights for historical archives rather than direct integration within Siri. In 2023, The New York Times reported that Apple had discussed substantial multiyear deals with Condé Nast, NBC News, and IAC.
However, the company’s last attempt to blend AI and news, Apple Intelligence, launched in late 2024, resulted in inaccurate summaries of news alerts, leading to concerns about publication integrity.
The Current Siri AI:
The proposed Siri AI would be based on a custom Google Gemini model with 1.2 trillion parameters, unveiled at WWDC in June.