Global big techs in race to secure AI training content

[Photo by Yonhap]

Global tech giants such as Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are engaged in efforts to acquire content for training artificial intelligence (AI) from major Hollywood studios in the wake of the European Union‘s landmark approval of AI regulation.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, Alphabet and Meta are in talks with major Hollywood studios to secure content licenses for their AI-driven video generation software.

Previously, OpenAI unveiled Sora, a video AI capable of creating highly realistic videos from text prompts, while Alphabet’s Google launched Veo earlier this month.

Meta introduced Emu Video in November 2023, specializing in generating four-second animated videos from images.

Sources told Bloomberg that Alphabet and Meta have tabled offers totaling tens of millions of dollars to the studios, with OpenAI also involved in similar negotiations.

The content acquisition, in the meantime, extends beyond videos.

OpenAI has struck a deal with News Corp., the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, agreeing to pay $250 million for access to content from over 12 of its affiliates.

The rush by tech behemoths to procure content is propelled by the EU‘s rigorous regulations on general-purpose AI, which were unveiled alongside the approval of the AI Act earlier this month.

A major obstacle in the negotiations between AI firms and Hollywood studios is the issue of consent rights held by actors.

Previously, the American actors’ union and studios reached an agreement stipulating that digital replicas generated using AI technology necessitate prior consent and appropriate compensation.