Meta Platforms has entered into a multiyear artificial intelligence content licensing agreement with News Corp that could be worth up to $50 million (£39 million) annually, marking one of the latest partnerships between technology companies and major news publishers in the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, it is expected to run for at least three years. The agreement will grant Meta access to News Corp’s US and UK publications, including The Wall Street Journal and New York Post, enabling the tech giant to use the content to train its AI models and support real-time information retrieval features across its products.

However, the arrangement does not include several Australian publications owned by News Corp, such as The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun. News Corp CEO Robert Thomson disclosed the details of the partnership during a Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco, where he described news organisations as an essential “input company” within the AI ecosystem.

Thomson highlighted the importance of credible journalism in the development of AI systems, noting that reliable information forms the backbone of many generative AI tools.

He also revealed that he remains in regular contact with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg through WhatsApp and is in discussions with Sam Altman of OpenAI regarding potential future collaborations.