Meta’s first major AI news deal brings real-time Reuters information to its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp chatbot.
Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has formed a multi-year partnership with Reuters to incorporate AI-driven chat features into its platforms.
According to an Axios report, the collaboration will allow Meta’s AI chatbot to access Reuters news to answer user inquiries about current events.
Meta in the News
Starting October 25, this feature will be available to U.S. users through Meta’s AI assistant on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
With this integration, Meta’s AI can now link directly to Reuters articles when responding to relevant questions.
Details regarding licensing, particularly in training Meta’s large language model (LLM), Llama, have not been disclosed.
A Meta spokesperson stated: “While most people use Meta AI for creative tasks, deep dives on new topics or how-to assistance, this partnership will help ensure a more useful experience for those seeking information on current events.”
This marks Meta’s first major news partnership in the AI sector, signaling the company’s effort to stay aligned with evolving AI trends.
Meta’s approach to adding news content through AI differs from its recent moves to reduce news and political content across its platforms.
Following controversies in recent years, including the removal of its “News Tab” and a reduced focus on political news after 2020, Meta had largely shifted away from news-centered features.
This AI collaboration, however, suggests a controlled return to news for users who actively seek it rather than passively encountering it in their feeds.
AI-Generated News
Meta’s agreement with Reuters reflects a broader trend of AI companies partnering with news outlets to enhance credibility and address legal concerns.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT and GPT-4, has also secured several licensing deals to incorporate reliable news sources, catering to user demand for accurate information and addressing publishers’ concerns over content usage.
These partnerships respond to legal challenges within the AI industry, such as a lawsuit from Time and The Associated Press against OpenAI over the use of copyrighted material.
OpenAI has partnered with other outlets like the Financial Times, French publisher Le Monde, Spanish Prisa Media, and German media giant Axel Springer to provide news to users in multiple languages.
