Meta strikes new deals with publishers to supply real-time content for Meta AI

Meta has reached new licensing agreements with several major news publishers to supply real-time information for Meta AI, its artificial intelligence chatbot, the company announced Saturday.

The partnerships will allow Meta AI to provide breaking news, entertainment updates and lifestyle stories generated from a broader set of sources. The tool will also surface links to original articles on publisher websites.

“We’re beginning to offer a wider variety of real-time content on Meta AI, from global, breaking news to entertainment, lifestyle stories and more,” the company said in a statement. “When you ask Meta AI news-related questions, you’ll now receive information and links that draw from more diverse content sources.”

The move positions Meta to compete with platforms such as X, whose Grok chatbot pulls directly from real-time posts. OpenAI, which lacks its own social network, has also been pursuing publishing partnerships to support its models.

A growing number of news organisations have been limiting access to their content amid concerns over data use and the rise of AI training models. Licensing agreements have emerged as a new revenue stream for some publishers as platforms seek legally permissible datasets.

Meta said the latest deals will “provide value to partners” by linking readers back to publisher sites. The company did not disclose financial details of the agreements.

Publishers participating in the program include CNN, Fox News, Le Monde Group, The Washington Examiner and USA Today, among others.

The company has made several shifts in its news distribution strategy over the past decade, including launching and later discontinuing dedicated news surfaces and adjusting how publisher content reaches users.

Meta did not indicate how long the new agreements will remain in place or whether additional partnerships are planned.