AI TRENDS | SoftBank Launches GaranAI Platform to Process News Content for AI Use

SoftBank Group said on Wednesday it will begin operating a new information platform called GaranAI, which will obtain article data from news organizations and publishers and process it into data for generative AI. According to Jin10, content creators including the Mainichi Newspapers, Sankei Shimbun, Kyodo News, and some local newspapers will provide content to GaranAI and receive payment in return. SoftBank will convert the content into a data format that is difficult to restore to its original form, then further process it into data that is easier for AI to use before selling it to AI developers. The company said this is intended to help improve the accuracy of AI responses to user questions. SoftBank released a trial version of the platform on Wednesday and started accepting applications from AI developers. The operator plans to keep improving the platform over the next six months and launch the full version in January next year or later. It also plans to expand the platform so it can accept copyrighted content from a wider range of fields.