Meta has signed commercial AI data agreements with several news publishers. These agreements will allow its AI chatbot, Meta AI, to offer real-time global, entertainment, and breaking news. When users ask Meta AI news-related questions, it will now surface information and links drawn from these content sources to help users discover timely and relevant content. These responses will include links to articles so users can visit the publishers’ websites to learn more. Meta states this approach will allow its publishing partners to reach new audiences.
The initial publishing partners include CNN, Fox News, Fox Sports, Le Monde Group, the People Inc. portfolio of media brands, The Daily Caller, The Washington Examiner, and USA Today. The company plans to add new partnerships in the future.
This move represents a shift for Meta, which has recently moved away from making its platforms hubs for news. For example, it removed the dedicated “News” tab from Facebook in 2024. Additionally, Meta stopped compensating news publishers in 2022, but is now doing so again to help supercharge its AI chatbot with real-time access to news.
In a statement, Meta wrote that it is committed to making Meta AI more responsive, accurate, and balanced. The company noted that real-time events can be challenging for current AI systems, but by integrating more and different types of news sources, it aims to improve the chatbot’s ability to deliver timely and relevant information with a wide variety of viewpoints.
The company is looking to attract more users to its AI chatbot amid increasing competition from rivals. Meta is also working to stay relevant in the AI race following the controversial release of its Llama 4 model earlier this year, which was met with complaints of poor performance.
Meta AI is available in over 200 countries and can be accessed through the company’s apps, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, as well as through a standalone Meta AI app.