- Meta is in discussions with major publishers including News Corp, Fox, and Axel Springer to license content for its AI products.
- The talks represent a major shift, as Meta previously cut publisher payments and reduced its focus on news distribution.
- Licensing comes amid a surge of lawsuits against AI firms accused of unauthorized scraping and copyright infringement.
- Deals would give publishers new revenue streams, while Meta secures high-quality, legally licensed data for AI training.
- The negotiations highlight Meta’s pivot to a “buy over build” AI strategy after setbacks in its internal AI development.
Meta seeks partnerships with News Corp, Fox, and Axel Springer to secure training data for its AI products.
Meta has opened negotiations with prominent media companies, including News Corp, Fox Corp., and Axel Springer, aiming to license articles and other content for its artificial intelligence products. The discussions signal a major departure from Meta’s previous stance: in 2022, the company stopped paying publishers to feature their work on platforms like Facebook News, citing limited user interest.
Now, with AI reshaping how people consume information, Meta is seeking to rebuild ties with publishers, positioning licensed content as critical training material for its AI tools. According to those familiar with the talks, these negotiations remain in early stages and may not lead to finalized agreements.
Why Licensing Now?
The move comes against a backdrop of mounting legal battles in the generative AI sector. Tech companies have faced lawsuits from publishers, music labels, and other rights holders accusing them of scraping copyrighted content without permission. In response, many firms are pivoting toward licensing as a safer and more sustainable approach.
As Judge Vince Chhabria noted in a recent case against another AI company, “the question is not whether something is messed up but whether it’s copyright infringement.” This evolving legal environment has pushed companies like Meta to secure licensing deals proactively, rather than risk expensive litigation.
Meta’s AI Ambitions and Licensing Needs
Meta has committed more than $30 billion in AI-related investments in 2025, spanning infrastructure, partnerships, and product development. Its portfolio includes chatbots, AI-powered content tools, and integration of AI assistants across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. To strengthen these products, high-quality and legally licensed data has become indispensable.
The company has already signed an AI content-licensing deal with Reuters and is now broadening its approach. As competition intensifies with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google—each of which has already secured licensing partnerships—Meta is racing to ensure its models have comparable access to authoritative datasets.
Opportunities and Risks for Publishers
For publishers, licensing deals offer a much-needed revenue stream at a time of declining ad sales and increased reliance on subscriptions. Licensing archives to AI developers provides an alternative path to monetization while keeping journalism relevant in an era of automated content generation.
However, risks remain. As AI systems become more capable of generating derivative content, publishers worry about the long-term devaluation of their work. Licensing may provide short-term income, but over time, the presence of AI-generated content trained on their archives could erode readership and brand differentiation.
Competition and Industry Context
Meta is not alone in this shift. OpenAI has already secured agreements with major publishers, including News Corp, Axel Springer, Vox Media, and The Atlantic. Amazon signed a licensing deal with The New York Times, even as the paper pursues lawsuits against other AI firms. Google and Microsoft have also pursued selective licensing deals while defending their own AI training practices as transformative fair use.
In this competitive environment, Meta’s entry into licensing is as much about parity as innovation. Without strong partnerships, its AI ecosystem risks lagging behind in both quality and credibility.
A Calculated Bet on AI’s Future
Meta’s negotiations with major publishers mark one of its most significant strategic pivots in recent years. From deprioritizing news to now actively courting it for AI, the company is adapting to both legal and competitive realities.
Whether these talks lead to binding agreements remains uncertain. But if successful, they could reshape Meta’s relationship with publishers, offering a balance between innovation, compliance, and compensation. The outcome will be a defining signal of how tech firms and media companies navigate the uneasy intersection of AI growth and copyright protection.
