OpenAI partners with Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd to expand news discovery and publishing experiences

MUMBAI: News discovery is getting a new digital route as Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd and OpenAI have joined hands to help readers find journalism across BCCL’s publications and digital platforms.

Under the strategic partnership, content from participating BCCL publications, including The Times of India and The Economic Times, will be made available for discovery through ChatGPT. When selected summaries or excerpts are surfaced in response to relevant user queries, the responses will identify the original publication and provide a direct link to the full article.

The partnership will cover live reporting and other content from participating BCCL properties, giving ChatGPT users a way to move from an AI-generated summary to the original reporting and its wider context.

Mohit Jain, chief operating officer and board member, BCCL, said the partnership builds on the group’s long-standing approach to making journalism accessible as technology changes.

“For almost two centuries, BCCL has believed that journalism is a public trust, rooted in facts, guided by independent judgment, and sustained by the trust of our readers,” said BCCL chief operating officer and board member Mohit Jain.

“Our partnership with OpenAI is another step in that journey, enabling audiences to discover journalism from across our publications while preserving the source, context, and identity of the original reporting,” he added.

For OpenAI, the partnership is part of its broader effort to work with publishers and improve access to reliable information while developing AI tools for the publishing industry.

“BCCL is an important part of how millions of people understand India and the world. This partnership will help ChatGPT users discover reporting from BCCL’s English and Indian-language publications, with clear attribution and direct links to the original articles,” said OpenAI vice president, media partnerships Varun Shetty.

Shetty added that OpenAI aims to build practical relationships with publishers in India while respecting editorial independence and helping readers connect with news.

Beyond content discovery, the two companies will explore potential uses of OpenAI technology across BCCL’s products, reader services and internal operations. Areas under consideration include archive discovery, research, data analysis, translation, reader services and business workflows.

Any use of AI within newsrooms will remain subject to the editorial standards and policies of the relevant BCCL publication, with human oversight continuing to govern newsroom decisions.

The partnership also establishes clear boundaries around editorial control. Participating BCCL publications will retain complete editorial independence, with their editors and journalists continuing to control reporting, verification, editing and publication.

OpenAI will not determine BCCL’s coverage or editorial positions.

The tie-up reflects a growing shift in the relationship between publishers and AI platforms, with publishers seeking wider audience discovery while placing greater emphasis on attribution, source visibility and access to original reporting.

For BCCL, the partnership offers another channel through which readers can discover its journalism. For OpenAI, it adds a major Indian publishing group to its efforts to connect ChatGPT users with established news sources while exploring how AI can support the wider publishing ecosystem.