Apple has initiated negotiations with major news and publishing organizations in order to gain permission to use their content for the sake of developing artificial intelligence systems that create material, involving at least four anonymous sources familiar with these discussions.

The company has proposed multiyear deals worth $50 million or more to license news archives to news organizations such as NBC News, Condé Nast, and IAC, which owns several publications like The Daily Beast and Better Homes and Gardens.

These negotiations are one of the first ways Apple is attempting to make strides in the field of generative artificial intelligence, also known as neural networks, that is created by using large amounts of data to recognize patterns in digital text and images. Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others have already developed products using this technology.

In the A.I. sphere, Apple has been relatively quiet. Siri, the company’s virtual assistant, has seen little improvement since its launch a decade ago.

Apple has chosen not to comment on these discussions, and has given little information on the subject in recent investor calls. Despite the optimism of some, many publishing executives are hesitant to embrace this offer due to concerns over the breadth of Apple’s terms and its vague business intentions.

Apple has been slow to build its data resources for developing A.I. tools compared to its competitors, partly due to the company’s stance on privacy. The rise of generative A.I. has led publishing organizations to be cautious about entering partnerships, seeking to protect their existing businesses.

OpenAI, a major player in the A.I. field, has emphasized the importance of content creators benefiting from A.I. technology and has cited successful collaborations with news organizations, such as the American Journalism Project and the German publisher Axel Springer.