The Financial Times (FT) and OpenAI have revealed a new strategic partnership, aiming to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to develop innovative products and features for FT readers. Announced on April 29, the agreement includes granting users of OpenAI's ChatGPT AI chatbot access to select summaries, quotes, and links to FT articles.

The integration is designed to enrich the chatbot's ability to provide real-time, reliable information, an area that has been contentious in the AI and media industries. Notably, OpenAI faced a privacy complaint in Austria on April 29, with a local advocacy group raising concerns about the chatbot's provision of potentially inaccurate information and potential breaches of European Union data laws.

Earlier this year, the FT became a customer of ChatGPT's enterprise version, allowing all its employees access for "creativity and productivity gains," according to reports. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has actively promoted the use of ChatGPT's enterprise offerings to Fortune 500 companies.

John Riddin, CEO of the FT Group, hailed the partnership as "important" in revolutionizing how people access and use information. He emphasized the need for AI platforms to compensate publishers for the use of their content, ensuring that products contain reliable sources, which is in the users' best interests.

This collaboration is part of OpenAI's broader strategy to forge partnerships in the media sector. In the past six months, the AI developer has partnered with French publisher Le Monde and Spanish Prisa Media to provide news content in French and Spanish. OpenAI also announced partnerships with German media giant Axel Springer in December 2023 and is in talks with major US media companies like CNN, Fox, and Time for news content licensing.

Despite its successful partnerships, OpenAI has faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit from The New York Times in December 2023. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI used millions of NYT articles without authorization to train its chatbots. While the lawsuit is ongoing, both parties have moved to dismiss each other's claims.

Despite these challenges, OpenAI continues to seek partnerships in the media industry, including collaborations with the American Journalism Project to support local news initiatives and with the Associated Press, demonstrating its commitment to securing appropriate permissions in the media sector.