Meta Integrates News Content into AI, reversing Course on Media Partnerships – February 29, 2024
Meta is now incorporating live web content and news feeds into its artificial intelligence platforms, a move signaling a shift in the company’s relationship with the news media.The integration, announced today, will make news a component of Meta AI, which serves billions of users globally. This growth arrives as competitors like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini also increasingly leverage current events in their AI offerings.
The decision represents a reversal for Meta,founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004,which previously downplayed the importance of news content on its platforms. In recent years, the company shuttered the Facebook News tab in the United States, Britain, and France, ending multi-million dollar deals with news organizations.This change also included the January termination of Meta’s U.S. fact-checking program, which had utilized third-party organizations like AFP to combat misinformation.
Previously, Meta asserted that news constituted a small portion of user engagement. Zuckerberg’s decision to end the fact-checking program aligned with a broader shift in approach and mirrored sentiments expressed by the Trump management regarding established news sources. The company’s platforms-Facebook and Instagram-remain central to news dissemination for many, despite the earlier distancing from formal partnerships.
The integration of news into Meta AI comes as artificial intelligence companies race to provide users with the most up-to-date and comprehensive data. The move could perhaps revitalize relationships with news publishers, though the financial implications of the new arrangement remain unclear.
