Microsoft says it’s building an app store for AI content licensing

Microsoft says it is working on the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensing hub that shows usage terms set by publishers. That way, AI companies can easily shop the terms and set up deals to use online content for “grounding” their AI models, while the content owners get usage-based reporting to help set prices.

Microsoft says it’s been codesigning PCM with companies including Verge parent Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast, People, and others. The AI boom has been largely fueled by content ingested without payment, and many of the previously mentioned publishers have filed lawsuits and/or arranged content licensing deals as traffic from traditional sources drops. Some, like The New York Times and The Intercept, have filed copyright lawsuits against both Microsoft and OpenAI.

There’s also a publisher-backed open standard called Really Simple Licensing (RSL) that lays out a framework aimed at keeping the digital media business sustainable in the age of AI. It builds licensing terms into a publisher’s website, dictating how bots should pay to scrape their sites, but Microsoft’s announcement didn’t mention how, or if, that could interact with the PCM. The Verge reached out to Microsoft with a request for more information, but didn’t immediately hear back.

According to Microsoft, with this setup, “publishers will be paid on delivered value, and AI builders gain scalable access to licensed premium content that improves their products.” The company adds that PCM will “support publishers of all sizes,” including large organizations and independent publications.

“The open web was built on an implicit value exchange where publishers made content accessible, and distribution channels — like search — helped people find it,” Microsoft writes. “That model does not translate cleanly to an AI-first world, where answers are increasingly delivered in a conversation.”

Microsoft says it has started to onboard partners, including Yahoo, as it continues piloting the marketplace and is looking to expand further.