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Automattic reported to be nearing deals to supply Tumblr and WordPress.com content to OpenAI and Midjourney

404 Media reported that Automattic, parent of Tumblr and WordPress.com, was close to agreements to provide user content to OpenAI and Midjourney for AI training. Automattic said it would share only public content from sites that had not opted out.

SAN FRANCISCO, February 27, 2024 Automattic, the company behind Tumblr and WordPress.com, was reported to be nearing agreements to supply user content to OpenAI and Midjourney for AI training, according to 404 Media. The price was not reported.1

Terms of the deal

Per the report, Automattic was close to completing the agreements. An alleged internal post by a Tumblr product manager suggested the initial data batch could include private posts on public blogs, deleted or suspended blogs, unanswered questions, private answers, posts marked explicit and content from premium partner blogs.1 Automattic said it would share only public content from sites that had not opted out, and that it would update partners about new opt-outs and ask them to remove such content from past sources and future training.1 It was unclear whether partners would be required to comply, and whether over-inclusive data had already been sent.

Background

Automattic's statement confirmed it was working directly with select AI companies and introduced an opt-out from future AI training for users.2 The company said it does not include content from sites hosted elsewhere that merely use its plugins.

What it means for data sellers

The episode shows that user-generated platforms must define exactly what data is eligible before negotiating. Private, deleted and restricted content should be excluded by rule, and user opt-outs should be technically enforceable and contractually binding on the buyer. A company that sells platform data should expect scrutiny on consent and should be ready to describe its filtering process publicly.

How the deal came together

  1. Reporting surfaced the plan. 404 Media reported on internal documents describing the planned data transfer.
  2. Questions over scope. An alleged internal post said the initial batch might include private posts, deleted blogs and other content that should not be shared.
  3. Automattic responded. The company said it would share only public content from sites that had not opted out and would add an opt-out tool.
  4. Exclusion list prepared. Engineers were reportedly preparing a list of post IDs to remove before any transfer.

Takeaways for companies with data

  • Scope errors in a data export can create reputational damage before a deal is even signed.
  • An opt-out for users should be built before the sale, not after.
  • Content on a platform includes private and deleted material that must be filtered out explicitly.

Sources

Every numbered reference above points to an entry here. Figures come from these pages as of the date shown at the top of the article. Where a source reports a number it got from unnamed people, the text says so.

  1. Tumblr and WordPress posts will reportedly be used for OpenAI and Midjourney training (Engadget, February 2024)
  2. 404 Media reports Tumblr and WordPress plan to sell user data to Midjourney and OpenAI (Waxy.org, February 2024)

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About the AI Data Deal Tracker

SellYourAIData tracks publicly reported sales and licenses of data to AI companies, with the price, terms and sources for each. Entries are checked against public reporting and updated as deals change. SellYourAIData was not involved in this deal. To ask what your company's data could sell for, get a free valuation. To report a deal, contact us.