Apple has opened negotiations in recent weeks with major news and publishing organisations, seeking permission to use their material in the company’s development of generative artificial intelligence systems, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The iPhone maker has floated multiyear deals worth at least $50 million (roughly Rs. 420 crore) to license the archives of news articles, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the discussions.

The news organisations contacted by Apple include Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue and the New Yorker; NBC News; and IAC, which owns People, the Daily Beast and Better Homes and Gardens, the New York Times said.

Some of the publishers contacted by Apple were lukewarm on the overture, according to the report.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Big tech has been investing aggressively to integrate generative AI. On the other hand, Apple has used the technology to improve basic functions in its new gadgets.

Apple also introduced new MacBook Pro and iMac computers and three new chips to power them in October, highlighting that these can be used by artificial intelligence researchers, whose chatbots and other creations are often constrained by how much data can be held in the computer’s memory.

More Chinese agencies and state-backed companies across the country have asked their staff to not bring Apple iPhones and other foreign devices to work, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter.

For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Multiple state firms and government departments across at least eight provinces have instructed employees in the past month or two to start carrying local brands, the Bloomberg News report said.