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Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Feed News Into Overhauled Siri

The company has proposed multiyear, pay‑as‑used deals that would pay outlets when Siri displays their reporting, signaling a possible new model for how AI services license journalism.

Overview

  • Reporting that surfaced Wednesday says Apple has approached multiple publishers about multiyear agreements to give an upgraded Siri access to current news and live reporting.
  • Under the proposal Apple would pay publishers when their content is actually used to answer a Siri query rather than with a guaranteed upfront fee, a shift that moves more usage risk onto publishers.
  • People cited in the coverage say Apple has discussed setting aside a nine‑figure budget for the payments, though no deals have been announced and Apple declined to comment.
  • Apple’s push follows high‑profile errors from an AI news‑summary feature in 2024–25, and the company is reportedly seeking vetted publisher content to reduce hallucinations and improve Siri’s real‑time accuracy.
  • If adopted, the pay‑per‑use model could create a new revenue stream for some newsrooms and influence future licensing talks, but key details such as which publishers would join and how usage would be measured remain unresolved.