Prime Highlights:
Google signs its first AI-powered news deal with The Associated Press.
AP will deliver real-time news content to enhance Google’s Gemini AI chatbot.
The financial details of the deal remain undisclosed.
Key Background:
In a significant move for both companies, Google has entered into a partnership with The Associated Press (AP) to integrate real-time news into its Gemini AI chatbot, marking the tech giant’s first such deal with a news publisher. The collaboration, announced by Google in a blog post on January 15, 2025, aims to enhance the Gemini app by incorporating up-to-date news content from AP, further improving its generative AI capabilities.
The agreement underscores the ongoing relationship between Google and AP, built on a shared commitment to delivering timely, accurate news to global audiences. AP’s Chief Revenue Officer, Kristin Heitmann, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, noting that the deal acknowledges the value of AP’s journalism and its nonpartisan reporting. However, specific financial terms of the arrangement have not been disclosed, and Google has refrained from commenting on how it will present AP’s content within Gemini, particularly whether attribution or direct links to the original articles will be included.
Gemini, which evolved from Google’s previous Bard chatbot, is designed to meet the growing demand for generative AI tools capable of composing documents, generating images, and assisting in coding tasks. The inclusion of AP’s news feed will help Gemini provide users with more accurate and real-time information, particularly in news-related queries.
This partnership follows AP’s 2023 agreement with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, allowing the AI company to license AP’s news archives for training purposes. These kinds of partnerships are becoming more prevalent, as AI companies seek high-quality data to improve their models and mitigate legal challenges surrounding the use of publicly available content. News organizations have voiced concerns over AI companies utilizing their material without compensation, and some, including The New York Times, have pursued legal action for copyright infringement.
While this deal offers a potential revenue stream for AP, it also raises questions about the control news outlets retain over how their work is used. Experts warn that by partnering with AI companies, publishers may risk losing control over the monetization and distribution of their content. Nevertheless, this partnership with Google provides AP with an opportunity to secure much-needed revenue while improving the quality of information presented to users.