Microsoft × The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) signed a deal to join Microsoft's AI content marketplace, a platform designed to compensate publishers on a pay-per-use basis. [1, 47] Announced in early November 2025, the deal makes the AP a partner in what is described as an early and experimental marketplace. [1] This follows a previous licensing deal the AP made with OpenAI in 2023. [47]
The asset
A licensing deal for The Associated Press to join Microsoft's pay-per-use AI content marketplace, which is being developed to compensate publishers for the use of their content by AI products. [1, 47]
The record
- Seller status
- Going concern
- Sector
- News Publishing
- Modalities
- text
- Jurisdiction
- US
What it means if you hold data
This deal signifies a move by major tech companies like Microsoft to create structured, market-based mechanisms for licensing news content, rather than relying on one-off deals. The 'pay-per-use' model represents an alternative to the large, upfront licensing payments that have characterized other AI-publisher partnerships.