Microsoft’s New AI Marketplace Aims to Pay Publishers for Scraped Content

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new program to compensate publishers whose content is used to train AI models. The program, dubbed the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), will initially involve a limited publishing partners, with plans to expand over time.

Axios first reported details of the program, which was discussed at an invite-only summit in Monaco last week. So, what does Microsoft plan to tackle with the PCM? Per the report, the program will address growing concerns around AI and content usage.

As you may know, many have argued that AI tools, including Microsoft’s own Copilot, rely heavily on scraping publicly available information. This very fact deprives publishers of traffic and ad revenue. And without proper compensation, valuable sources of news, analysis, and media are at immediate risk.

Unlike competitors such as Google, which have largely avoided establishing a formal marketplace for AI content, Microsoft is taking a proactive approach. Slides from the summit reportedly mentioned phrases like, “You deserve to be paid on the quality of your IP.” This hints at the company’s intent to monetize content fairly while fueling its AI services.

Copilot, though less widely used than ChatGPT, benefits from Microsoft’s enterprise reach. Major organizations are already integrating it into workflows, generating reports, and internal insights. More recently, Axios reported that The US House of Representatives will soon be able to use Copilot. But the version they will be using will have high security standards.