Axios Expands Its Local News Coverage... On OpenAI's Dime

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Axios is the next publication to make a deal with OpenAI

We’re at a point where we should just admit that every major news company will sell out to AI companies. Through massive deals, OpenAI has access to the news content from dozens of news sites including The Verge, Business Insider, The Financial Times, The Atlantic, and a bunch more. Well, Axios is the next news site to shake hands with Sam Altman, as it’s expanding its local news presence on OpenAI’s dime.

We can’t deny that making deals with AI companies does bring several benefits. It gives AI tools access to more accurate information. Still, it’s rather ironic. When we first saw what ChatGPT could do, so many people thought about how this technology could negatively impact journalists. The technology basically makes most journalists obsolete. So, it’s a bit odd seeing so many companies willing to partner with AI companies.

Axios is the next publication to make a deal with OpenAI

Axios is one of the top news sites on the internet, and it has a unique way of reporting. The publication announced that it’s expanding its local new business with four new news rooms. These new news rooms will be in Kansas City, Missouri; Huntsville, Alabama; Boulder, Colorado; and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Where does the partnership come in? Well, OpenAI is funding this venture. It will help pay to open these newsrooms. What’s the catch? Well, in exchange for the newsrooms, OpenAI is getting digital gold, data. Axios will give OpenAI access to its content. This way, ChatGPT will be able to access Axios’ articles when someone does a search for relevant content.

This seems pretty much par for the course by now. The thing keeping AI models alive is access to data from around the internet. Without access to content, AI models may as well put on a “DUNCE” cap. Since secretly stealing data from across the internet has landed OpenAI and other AI companies in hot water, the company has decided to play it safe and make deals with news organizations.

Is this a good thing?

This marks another instance of AI companies having access to human-made content, which can ostensibly put more people out of their jobs. While more AI in the newsroom isn’t necessarily a good thing, we have to admit that this does help create some jobs. People will be able to work at these newsrooms, and Axios stated that AI won’t be used to report the news. So, it’s tough to say.