Microsoft says it’s building an app store for AI content licensing

Microsoft says it is working on the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensing hub that shows usage terms set by publishers. That way, AI companies can easily shop the terms and set up deals to use online content for “grounding” their AI models, while the content owners get usage-based reporting to help set prices.

Microsoft says it’s been codesigning PCM with companies including Verge parent Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast, People, and others. The AI boom has been largely fueled by content ingested without payment, and many of the previously mentioned publishers have filed lawsuits and/or arranged content licensing deals as traffic from traditional sources drops. Some, like The New York Times and The Intercept, have filed copyright lawsuits against both Microsoft and OpenAI.

There’s also a publisher-backed open standard called Really Simple Licensing (RSL) that lays out a framework aimed at keeping the digital media business sustainable in the age of…