Apple is reportedly in talks with news publishers to secure access to their content as part of its effort to make its AI-powered Siri better at answering questions about current events and other news.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has contacted publishers in recent months about new multiyear agreements that would give Siri access to their content. The company is looking to use licensed publisher material to provide Siri with more current and reliable news and information when the upgraded assistant rolls out later this year.
Apple has reportedly proposed a payment model that would be different from the traditional licensing deals used by many AI companies. Instead of simply paying publishers a fixed fee for broad access to their content, Apple is considering a variable compensation system in which publishers would receive payments when their content is actually used by Siri.
The company has discussed a possible budget in the nine-figure range for these payments, according to people familiar with the discussions. Apple has not publicly commented on the reported negotiations.
The talks come as Apple works to significantly upgrade Siri after years of criticism that the voice assistant has lagged behind competing AI tools. Apple recently announced a major AI-focused upgrade for Siri, with the company aiming to make the assistant more capable and useful across its devices.
Apple has previously paid publishers for access to content, including agreements that gave the company rights to use material for AI training. It has also worked with publishers through Apple News+, its paid news and magazine service launched in 2019, although some publishers have since left the service.
Apple’s push to secure publisher content also follows problems with an earlier AI-generated news feature. In late 2024, Apple experimented with AI-generated news summaries, but the feature produced inaccurate headlines that raised concerns among publishers. Apple subsequently disabled the feature.
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With the new publisher discussions, Apple appears to be seeking direct access to established news sources that could help Siri deliver more useful answers about breaking news and current events. The reported deals would allow publishers to receive compensation based on how frequently their content is used by Siri.
