In partnership with
MediaMorph Edition 109 - by Mark Riley
The training era is over; it’s all about inference now
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here
The written-by-a-human bit
The short announcement on Sunday about the deal signed between Getty Images and OpenAI sent Getty’s share price soaring by 145% at one point yesterday. Quite the turnaround for Getty after the largely unsuccessful lawsuit against UK AI image lab Stability AI in 2023. The market reaction was a vote of confidence for license holders playing nicely with AI labs, although the commercials remain unclear. What was clear, however, was that the deal was for “search and discovery experiences” rather than for model training.
In other words, the compensation is now for appearing in query results, rather than for training the models to understand our world.
Appearing in query results is also known as inference, retrieval, grounding, or RAG.
This shift is significant. Chasing compensation for training (see New York Times vs OpenAI and Microsoft) will soon be seen as quaint. There is no doubt it was a heist, daylight robbery, but the training horse has bolted, the toothpaste is out of the tube, the ship has sailed - pick your analogy.
The real fight is now over being fairly rewarded for feeding the AI labs’ answer engines in real time. This can happen several times in the content journey and value exchange:
Per crawl — the AI bot pays the publisher to access or crawl a page.
Per retrieval — the publisher is paid when its content is retrieved into an AI answer pipeline.
Per inference / per output — the publisher is paid when its content contributes to a generated response.
Ad revenue share — the publisher receives a share of advertising revenue from AI answers that use or cite its content.
Minimum guarantee + usage upside — the AI platform pays a base fee, with additional payments if usage exceeds agreed thresholds.
Making this happen is harder - we are seeing a multi-pronged strategy:
Large archive deals for premium publishers and image libraries. (see News Corp, Getty Images and OpenAI)
Collective licensing for smaller publishers, authors and creators. (Sush as the CLA)
Technical standards such as RSL (real simple licensing) or similar rights signals.
Usage-based marketplaces for grounding and agentic search. (see Cashmere.io, ProRata / Gist.ai, Cloudflare’s Pay Per Crawl)
Regulatory controls forcing opt-outs, attribution, auditability and non-retaliation in search ranking. (e.g., UK Competition and Markets Authority)
Litigation pressure from hold-outs, such as The New York Times, to establish legal leverage.
The playing field is messy, and we are a long way from finding an equilibrium. But the AI labs understand that the relationship needs to be symbiotic, not parasitic. No one wins if the host dies. To use another analogy, we are seeing companies like Cashmere.io build platforms and compensation structures to move us from the Napster era to the Spotify era. While the big boys like Getty can sign market-moving deals, a fairer, flatter playing field can’t happen soon enough for the midtier and smaller players.
Mark Riley, CEO Mathison AI
Take our AI Readiness Audit for free - benchmark against your peers, and build your roadmap
In partnership with Velora https://velora.build/
AI and Journalism
This week’s best articles, as chosen by HANA and our editors
Getty Images shares soar more than 120% after it announces deal with OpenAI Forbes Australia - June 23, 2026 Getty Images' shares skyrocketed over 150% in premarket trading after announcing a partnership with OpenAI to integrate its digital image library into ChatGPT, raising questions about usage rights and licensing details. This move comes despite Getty's recent legal battles over copyright infringement with AI companies, highlighting a shift towards collaboration in the tech space. |
Getty Images Announces OpenAI Licensing Deal, Stock Surges Let's Data Science - June 23, 2026 Getty Images' stock soared by 90% to $1.15 on June 22, 2026, following a licensing agreement with OpenAI that will see its images featured in ChatGPT's search functions. This surge comes amid ongoing legal battles and new exclusive photography deals for major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup. |
AI in J-School: How Journalism Classes Are Adapting GovTech - June 17, 2026 As journalism programs evolve with the rise of AI, faculty emphasize core reporting skills over reliance on technology, while also recognizing the importance of AI literacy for future job prospects. Educators are cautiously integrating AI into curricula, fostering critical thinking about its implications while addressing students' ethical concerns and preferences for human-driven education. |
How should news organizations label their AI use for audiences? New studies suggest some answers Recent studies in Digital Journalism reveal that audience trust in AI-generated content depends heavily on human oversight and clear labelling, with preferences for transparency to combat bias and misinformation. Additionally, research highlights changing journalism employment dynamics in Seattle and explores ChatGPT's alignment with journalistic values across different demographics, raising important questions about credibility and the evolving landscape of news consumption. |
Ask Anika: Should AI write my headline? Cjr - In the inaugural edition of "Ask Anika," we delve into the risks of feeding unpublished work into large language models, highlighting concerns about intellectual property exposure and data privacy. Creators are urged to take precautions by anonymizing their content to protect their creative works and sensitive information. |
Germany's media rocked by AI scandal Dw.com - June 21, 2026 The Berlin-based newspaper Tagesspiegel has suspended political commentator Stephan-Andreas Casdorff for using AI to generate opinion pieces without disclosure, sparking a debate on the role of AI in journalism and the need for transparency. Media experts stress that undisclosed AI use undermines trust and authenticity in reporting, calling for clearer guidelines and training for journalists on the responsible use of AI tools. |
‘Unsettled Time’: 2026 Reuters Institute Digital News Report Finds Rise of Social Media, Video Creators, and AI Chatbots Amid Falling News Interest and Audience Trust Gijn - The 15th edition of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report reveals a shifting news landscape, highlighting declining trust in traditional media and a growing preference for social media among younger audiences. As news organizations grapple with monetization and misinformation, adaptability and innovation emerge as vital for thriving in this fragmented environment. |
The magnificence of human-centered journalism Substack - June 19, 2026 Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" urges society to ethically address the implications of AI, while New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger warns of AI's threat to journalism, calling for stronger protections against unauthorized content use by tech companies. Both leaders advocate for a human-centered approach to technology, emphasizing the need to safeguard journalism and uphold societal values amidst rapid digital change. |
Why Aren’t Newsrooms Covering This AI Speech? The Nation - June 18, 2026 A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, delivered a bold speech at the WAN-IFRA World News Media Conference, urging news organizations to unite against Big Tech's exploitation of journalism, which he claims threatens democracy and the integrity of news. He highlighted the alarming decline in journalism and called for legal action and collaboration to combat the industry's challenges, particularly from AI. |
Corporate Media Covers AI as a Contest of Elites. In That Framing, We All Lose. Truthout - June 17, 2026 Recent coverage of the Musk-Altman trial has spotlighted the rivalry between tech titans while neglecting critical societal implications of AI, such as safety risks and corporate control. This narrow framing diminishes public engagement and perpetuates myths about AI's benefits, emphasizing the need for more informed journalism on the ethical and social dimensions of artificial intelligence. |
Newmark J-School Welcomes Ken Auletta and Shuwei Fang as Senior Fellows Cuny - The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY has appointed renowned journalist Ken Auletta and digital media expert Shuwei Fang as Senior Fellows, enhancing the school's commitment to journalism education. They will mentor students and lead discussions on key issues such as media ethics and the digital transformation of the industry. |
The New York Times CEO warns of high stakes in lawsuit against OpenAI Crypto Briefing - June 22, 2026 The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity AI over the alleged unauthorized use of its articles to train AI models, claiming infringement of intellectual property rights and potential damages in the billions. CEO Meredith Kopit Levien highlights that the case aims to protect the value of high-quality journalism from being undermined by AI technologies. |
Your prompts are leaving out 80% of what you're thinking.
When you type a prompt, you summarize. When you speak one, you explain. Wispr Flow captures your full reasoning — constraints, edge cases, examples, tone — and turns it into clean, structured text you paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI tool. The difference shows up immediately. More context in, fewer follow-ups out.
89% of messages sent with zero edits. Used by teams at OpenAI, Vercel, and Clay. Try Wispr Flow free — works on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.
AI and Academic Publishing
This week’s best articles, as chosen by HANA and our editors
MDPI rolls out AI-powered ethics checks across all submissions MDPI has introduced Ethicality, an AI-powered research integrity system that screens manuscript submissions for potential issues like plagiarism and authorship anomalies, enhancing the editorial workflow by flagging concerns for human review. This innovative tool aims to proactively support editors in maintaining transparency and trust in scholarly publishing while automating time-consuming checks. |
Authors, reviewers and editors should not be left to endure AI anxiety alone Times Higher Education (THE) - June 19, 2026 The rise of generative AI in academic research has sparked ethical concerns and challenges around authorship, as scholars navigate the complexities of AI assistance while maintaining integrity and accountability. As the academic publishing system adapts to this new landscape, a call for enhanced support and clearer policies emerges to ensure fairness and properly value scholarly contributions. |
Neuroscience journal editor resigns over automation concerns The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - June 17, 2026 Michael Okun, an associate editor at Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, resigned in protest against the journal's AI system, AIRA, which he claims compromises academic integrity by sending reviewer requests to unqualified researchers. Despite mixed reactions from other editors, Frontiers' chief executive defended the use of AI in streamlining peer review while emphasizing the essential role of human judgment in the editorial process. |
Anyone can fake a scientific image with AI, tricking even academic journals – and undermining trust in science The Conversation - June 22, 2026 The rise of AI-generated images is blurring the lines between authentic scientific visuals and fabrications, leading to a crisis of trust in science. Researchers emphasize the need for transparency and clear documentation in image creation to maintain credibility and public confidence in scientific communication, especially following the release of iconic images from NASA's Artemis II mission. |
Interpretive Data Science Workshop Explores AI, Data Impact on Organisations & Work Imperial College London - June 17, 2026 The IDeaS Conference 2026 at Imperial College London brought together leading scholars to explore the transformative impact of data and AI on organizations and governance systems. With discussions on AI governance and digital labor, the event marked a significant milestone as the first gathering of its kind in Europe, emphasizing innovative research methodologies and collaboration across esteemed institutions. |
An open access future is only possible by addressing its problems – Physics World Physics World - June 22, 2026 The open access movement, while initially thriving, now faces challenges such as rising subscription models and financial burdens on authors, particularly in China, which complicate the transition to greater accessibility. To foster a sustainable and equitable scientific publishing ecosystem, collaboration among researchers, universities, and publishers is essential, alongside supportive policies from funding agencies. |
Phoenix Publishing and Media's Song Jishu on AI and the future The Bookseller - June 15, 2026 Phoenix is at the forefront of digital transformation in China's publishing industry, launching the AI-driven Phoenix Zhiling platform in 2023 to streamline workflows and reduce production costs. As the sector shifts towards holistic content experiences, educational publishing leads in AI adoption, while trade and literary publishing remain cautiously reliant on human creativity and emotional depth. |
Take our Mathison AI Readiness Audit for free - benchmark against your peers, and build your roadmap
This newsletter was partly curated and summarised by AI agents, who can make mistakes. Check all important information. For any issues or inaccuracies, please notify us here
View our AI Ethics Policy
