Amazon considers marketplace for licensed AI content and services

New Delhi: Amazon is reportedly preparing to launch an online marketplace designed specifically for the buying and selling of AI content and related services, according to a report by The Information. In the proposed marketplace, publishers and content creators could sell access to their material directly to companies developing AI products, including chatbots and search tools.

The report states that ahead of Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) conference, the cloud division shared internal slides with publishing executives that reference a “content marketplace.” In the slides, AWS placed the marketplace alongside its existing AI offerings, including Bedrock and Quick Suite, and highlighted tools that publishers can use to operate their businesses.

The development comes amid ongoing discussions between publishers and AI companies over the terms under which online content can be used. There is debate over whether AI developers should be able to use web content without payment or whether they should be required to pay for access, and if so, what pricing structures should apply. Many publishers have advocated for usage-based pricing.

If the reported plans proceed, Amazon’s marketplace could serve as a formal licensing platform, offering publishers a means to monetise their content while giving AI firms access to legally sourced material, with Amazon potentially taking a commission on transactions.

Amazon would not be alone in exploring this model. Last week, Microsoft announced its own Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensing platform intended to allow publishers to set usage terms and provide AI companies with authorised access to premium content.

Microsoft has said its own testing indicates that paid, high-quality content can improve AI responses, and the company has partnerships with outlets such as the Associated Press, Business Insider, Vox Media and USA Today.