Axios and OpenAI have signed a three-year AI partnership to automate aspects of local journalism, drawing criticism over potential conflicts of interest and concerns about the impact on journalistic integrity.
Axios and OpenAI have struck a three-year deal aimed at helping automate local journalism. As part of the partnership, OpenAI will support 13 local newspapers and provide access to its AI tools, while Axios will give the AI agent full access to its news content for training ChatGPT. Amid heightened concerns around AI agents escaping evaluation and evading the security guardrails designed to contain them, the partnership has not exactly been welcomed with open arms.
Axios co-founder Jim VandeHei spoke in favour of the newly forged partnership, saying, “If you’re scared, if you don’t like it, we don’t care, you have to embrace it.”
The partnership has drawn criticism from those who worry that it could blur the lines between journalism and technology influence. With local news organisations already struggling, critics fear that journalistic integrity could be compromised.
Speaking to the Columbia Journalism Review, VandeHei further described himself as an “AI lab rat.” He added: “We try not to get distracted by what other people in the quote-unquote media think.”
“I’m not delusional,” he continued. “I just don’t have a whole lot of time for people who are AI deniers. Like, good luck.”
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Axios routinely covers the technology industry and OpenAI in particular, which raises concerns about a potential conflict of interest between the two organisations.