Guardian joins media coalition to protect original journalism from unpaid use by AI

A coalition of UK media companies, including the Guardian, has called on industry colleagues to support global frameworks that ensure AI companies pay for the journalism they use.

The news providers are calling on publishing, broadcasting, media and news leaders to join their newly formed group, with the aim of protecting “original journalism” and ensuring “the long-term sustainability of our industry”.

The coalition, consisting of the Guardian, the BBC, the Financial Times, Sky News and the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), is called Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (Spur). It aims to establish global licensing frameworks that ensure AI companies have access to high-quality journalism for use in products such as chatbots, while ensuring publishers retain control of their content and are paid fairly for use.

An open letter signed by Tim Davie, the Director General of the BBC; the Guardian’s managing director, Anna Bateson; Sky News chief executive David Rhodes;…