OpenAI licenses Folha and UOL

Why it matters

OpenAI said on May 25 that it had signed its first Brazilian media partnership, bringing journalism from Folha de S.Paulo and UOL into ChatGPT with attribution, transparency and links to original stories. The agreement gives ChatGPT users access to summaries based on reporting from the two outlets, while Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL receive access to Codex, ChatGPT Enterprise and OpenAI’s API, according to the company. (openai.com) Financial terms were not disclosed. LatAm Journalism Review, citing Poder360, said the arrangement also provides real-time news to the ChatGPT ecosystem and ends a 2025 lawsuit filed by Folha against OpenAI over unauthorized use of content. ### How does the Brazil deal work inside ChatGPT? OpenAI said more than 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users worldwide will be able to access summaries based on Folha de S.Paulo and UOL reporting starting May 25. The company said those answers will emphasize attribution, transparency and links back to original sources. LatAm Journalism Review, citing Poder360, reported on May 26 that the two Brazilian outlets will share real-time news to feed the AI tool. The report said ChatGPT will display summaries based on those reports with links to the original sources. (openai.com) ### Why are Folha and UOL notable partners for OpenAI? Sérgio Dávila, editor-in-chief of Folha de S.Paulo, said OpenAI’s interest in displaying content from Folha and UOL “reinforces the importance of professional journalism.” Carlos Ponce de Leon, Folha’s co-chief executive, said the partnership puts the newspaper “at the forefront of this transformation” and creates new ways to expand the reach of its journalism. (openai.com) Paulo Samia, chief executive of UOL, said AI platforms “benefit from reliable sources for news” and should partner with creators of high-quality content. Murilo Garavello, UOL’s content director, said the company wanted its journalism present “in every environment Brazilians use.” (latamjournalismreview.org) ### How big is Brazil for ChatGPT? Brazil is one of ChatGPT’s largest markets, with more than 50 million monthly active users and about 140 million messages exchanged per day, OpenAI said in the partnership announcement. Those figures help explain why OpenAI chose Brazil for a local licensing agreement tied directly to news distribution in ChatGPT. (openai.com) The deal is also OpenAI’s first media partnership in Brazil, the company said. OpenAI said the agreement builds on publisher arrangements in the United States, Britain, France and Germany. (openai.com) ### Where does this fit in OpenAI’s wider publisher strategy? OpenAI said in January 2025 that it had partnered with nearly 20 media organizations, covering more than 160 news outlets and hundreds of content brands in more than 20 languages. The company said those arrangements allow ChatGPT search to show select summaries and excerpts from trusted publishers with citations and direct links. (openai.com) Varun Shetty, OpenAI’s vice president of media partnerships, said the Folha and UOL agreement is intended to bring “more useful, timely, and locally relevant answers” to ChatGPT while supporting the broader news ecosystem. (openai.com) OpenAI framed the Brazil pact as part of that broader effort to work collaboratively with news organizations. ### How does Microsoft’s pitch to publishers differ? Microsoft’s advertising division said in February that its Publisher Content Marketplace was designed to create a “transparent value exchange” between publishers and AI builders through licensed access to premium content. (openai.com) The company said the “agentic web” will make content quality central to AI experiences. AdExchanger reported on May 27 that Nikhil Kolar, Microsoft AI’s vice president of publisher product, told publishers not to block AI bots and instead to license access and make content readable to AI crawlers. (openai.com) Microsoft has separately said businesses need to be “understood, trusted, and eligible” inside AI systems, not just visible to human users. May 25 is the operative date for the OpenAI-Brazil agreement, and the next visible step is product rollout inside ChatGPT: Folha and UOL reporting is slated to appear with summaries, attribution and links to original stories, while both groups begin using Codex, ChatGPT Enterprise and the API under the partnership. (about.ads.microsoft.com) (openai.com) (adexchanger.com)

Key numbers

• OpenAI announced on May 25 its first Brazilian media partnership, licensing Folha de S.Paulo and UOL content for ChatGPT with attribution and source links.
• (openai.com) OpenAI said more than 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users can access summaries based on Folha and UOL reporting; financial terms were undisclosed.
• (openai.com) Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL will also receive Codex, ChatGPT Enterprise and API access under the partnership announced May 25.
• (openai.com) OpenAI said on May 25 that it had signed its first Brazilian media partnership, bringing journalism from Folha de S.Paulo and UOL into ChatGPT with attribution, transparency and links to original stories.

What happens next

• OpenAI said on May 25 that it had signed its first Brazilian media partnership, bringing journalism from Folha de S.Paulo and UOL into ChatGPT with attribution, transparency and links to original stories.
• OpenAI said more than 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users worldwide will be able to access summaries based on Folha de S.Paulo and UOL reporting starting May 25.
• The company said those answers will emphasize attribution, transparency and links back to original sources.

Sources

• openai.com
• latamjournalismreview.org
• openai.com
• about.ads.microsoft.com
• adexchanger.com

Quick answers