Apple seeks $100M+ publisher deals to power AI Siri with news

Apple is in talks with news publishers to license real-time content for its AI-powered Siri, with a proposed budget reaching nine figures and payments tied to actual content usage, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

"Apple has proposed a variable compensation plan, with payments made to partner publishers when their content is used," the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. Apple declined to comment.

The proposed structure departs from the guaranteed-fee model used by OpenAI in its deals with News Corp and Axel Springer. Apple has approached publishers in recent months ahead of a Siri AI rollout expected later this year. The company previously signed agreements granting rights to train its AI models and maintains publishing partnerships through Apple News+, launched in 2019.

The licensing push comes as Apple works to close the gap with rivals in the AI assistant market. Apple stock slipped 0.2% after-hours Wednesday but has gained 11% year-to-date. The deals could create a new revenue stream for publishers navigating the choice between suing AI companies and licensing content to them.

The variable compensation structure shifts financial risk onto publishers compared with flat-fee arrangements, but could reward outlets whose content proves most useful to Siri's underlying AI system. The approach could serve as a template for other AI developers if it proves workable at scale.

Apple's move reflects a broader industry shift as technology firms seek verified, up-to-date information to power consumer-facing AI services. The New York Times is currently suing OpenAI and Microsoft over alleged unauthorized use of its work to train AI models, while News Corp and Axel Springer have instead struck content deals with the ChatGPT maker. Reddit has taken both approaches, licensing content to Google in a deal reportedly worth about $60 million per year while separately suing Anthropic and Perplexity over alleged unauthorized scraping. The divergent strategies highlight the uncertainty publishers face as AI companies race to secure content rights.

Past Hurdles Shape the Deal Structure

Apple's push into AI-powered news delivery has encountered setbacks. In late 2024, the company trialed an automated feature generating AI news summaries, but shut it down after publishing inaccurate headlines that raised concerns among publisher partners. The new licensing talks reflect an effort to source verified content directly from publishers rather than relying on automated aggregation.

What the Deals Mean for Publishers and Apple

For publishers, the proposed usage-based model represents a departure from the upfront guaranteed fees that have characterized most AI content licensing to date. Under Apple's framework, participating outlets would receive payouts whenever their content is actively used by Siri to answer a query. The company has discussed an overall budget in the nine-figure range to finance these disbursements.

For Apple, the deals are part of a broader effort to make Siri competitive after years of criticism over its limited capabilities. The company recently unveiled a significant overhaul designed to embed AI more deeply into its devices and services, with the upgraded Siri expected to launch later this year.

The timing is notable. OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Amazon's Alexa are all competing for dominance in the voice assistant market, and Siri has long been seen as lagging behind these rivals. The publisher deals suggest Apple is treating the upcoming overhaul as a genuine competitive priority rather than a cosmetic update.

Apple stock has gained 11% year-to-date, with retail sentiment on Stocktwits bullish at low message volumes. The publisher deals show the company's commitment to investing in AI content partnerships as it competes with OpenAI, Google, and Amazon in the AI assistant market. If the usage-based model proves viable, it could reshape how AI companies compensate content creators across the industry.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.