AI firms seek accords with publishing giants to maintain growth

Publishing giants and generative artificial intelligence companies are striking deals that aim to both protect copyright and provide for the rapidly increasing needs of the AI industry.

U.S. publishing giant HarperCollins has reached a contract with an unnamed tech company allowing it to use some of its books to train its generative AI models.

In a letter seen by AFP, the tech company is proposing a payment of $2,500 per selected book to train its so-called large language model (LLM) for up to three years.

AI models need massive quantities of texts to train their everyday language use.

"HarperCollins has reached an agreement with an artificial intelligence technology company to allow limited use of select nonfiction backlist titles for training AI models to improve model quality and performance," the publisher said in a statement.

It said the agreement has "limited scope and clear guardrails around model output that respects author's rights."

Authors "have the choice to opt in to the agreement or to pass on the opportunity", it added.

The offer has had a mixed reception in the publishing world, with writers such as Daniel Kibblesmith curtly declining.

"I'd probably do it for a billion dollars. I'd do it for a sum of money that wouldn't require me to work anymore, since that's the ultimate goal of this technology," the author posted on the Bluesky social network.

HarperCollins is one of the largest publishers to reach such an accord, but not the first.

U.S. scientific publisher Wiley said it has allowed "access to previously published academic and professional book content for specific use in training LLM models" in a $23 million contract with an unidentified "large tech company".

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