Microsoft announces plans for app store to help AI companies pay for content

Microsoft is working on an app store to help AI companies pay for premium content.

Microsoft is working on an app store to help AI companies pay for premium content.

The tech giant has opened up about its work on the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), which is an AI licensing hub, which has been developed using content from the likes of the Associated Press, PEOPLE, Vox Media and more.

In a blog post, Microsoft said: “Publishers will be paid on delivered value, and AI builders gain scalable access to licensed premium content that improves their products.”

They added that PCM will “support publishers of all sizes”, while Microsoft insisted the new model was a better fit for the modern world.

The company continued: “The open web was built on an implicit value exchange where publishers made content accessible, and distribution channels — like search — helped people find it.

“That model does not translate cleanly to an AI-first world, where answers are increasingly delivered in a conversation.”

While Microsoft noted PCM has been codesigned with various media companies, many publishers have filed lawsuits or looked to arrange licensing deals for content after a drop in traffic from more traditional sources.

The New York Times and The Intercept are among those who have filed legal action against both Microsoft and OpenAI.

Microsoft added that under PCM, publishers will ”define licensing and usage terms, while AI builders discover and license content for specific grounding scenarios”.

They continued: “PCM also provides usage-based reporting, enabling publishers to understand how content has been valued in the past and where it can provide increased value in the future, all through a feedback loop within the marketplace.”

The company insisted “this is just the beginning”, with the project at a “pilot” stage.

They said: “We will expand PCM to those who share our principles that the AI web should respect quality content for the service it provides the consumer, ensuring the work of journalists, creators, and subject-matter experts plays a durable role in the future of the AI web

“We’re eager to work with more publishers and AI builders and continue to evolve the approach based on what we learn.”