STATEMENT: TIME UNION DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT DEALS WITH OPENAI AND FOX VERIFY

On Thursday, we learned that TIME has entered into a multiyear licensing and “strategic” partnership with OpenAI. TIME management also confirmed a previously announced deal with Fox Verify.

Every day, TIME Union’s members carry on a tradition of more than a century of trusted journalism. As we learned in coverage of the OpenAI deal, the company will be given access to our archives for products like ChatGPT as well as access to our real-time journalism to help answer user queries during breaking-news events. As we understand it, the agreement also states that our work will be cited and linked in answers. 

AI continues to be a critical concern for our members, and our industry. We have seen our sibling unions represented by The NewsGuild of New York demanding answers after learning about opaque deals between their employers and the technology company. We have also seen instances where OpenAI has generated false links to nonexistent news stories. OpenAI is also being sued by media companies such as the New York Times for using content without permission. And last summer, more than 4,000 writers signed a letter to the CEOs of OpenAI and other tech companies, accusing them of exploiting writers in their building of chatbots.

Ahead of Thursday’s OpenAI announcement, TIME announced a deal with Fox’s Verify protocol. As we read in the press release, this deal will place our work on a blockchain protocol that will allow for verification and external licensing. We have no further details of the scope of what will be done with our work, and Thursday’s communication was the first to staff from management confirming the deal. 

As dedicated journalists working to bring truth to light, our members deserve more transparency about exactly how our work will reach the world. 

While TIME management has been less than forthcoming about either deal, what we do know is that we are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that includes an Editorial Standards Committee. We would have expected management to apprise the committee of the details of large-scale content licensing so we could raise and discuss any concerns before making deals or announcing them to the public. Unfortunately, TIME chose not to do so. 

We will be demanding full details about the agreements and continue to fight for our members as we ensure a sustainable future for our work at TIME.