Fox Corp launches Polygon-based blockchain platform to address AI firms’ use of content

Polygon said the Verify protocol would be able to confirm whether the media outlet had verified Fox-created content used on another platform.

The Fox Corporation, the media conglomerate behind brand names like Fox News, has launched a blockchain platform for firms to track how their content is being used online.

In a Jan. 9 announcement, Polygon Labs said Fox had released the Verify platform “to establish the history and origin of registered media” used by artificial intelligence (AI) firms. Polygon developed Verify with Fox’s in-house technology team.

“With this technology, readers will know for sure that an article or image that purportedly comes from a publisher in fact originated at the source,” said Polygon. “As AI-generated text and images flow more widely online, Verify will be able to help consumers not only identify the veritable source of content, but also give media publishers more control over relationships with AI platforms scraping the web.”

With the rise of AI tools and AI-generated media, distinguishing truth from lies is difficult. Proving provenance and authenticity of any given piece of content is now more important than ever.

That’s where Verify, by Fox Corporation (built on Polygon PoS), comes in.

The public… pic.twitter.com/NzTiftQ9gk

— Polygon (Labs) (@0xPolygonLabs) January 9, 2024

The blockchain platform’s launch seemed to address the rise in content used by AI tools by media organizations and other firms where citation or copyright issues are present. Polygon said Verify could confirm whether the media outlet verified Fox-created content on another platform.

Related: New York Times lawsuit faces pushback from OpenAI over ethical AI practices

Verify is seemingly a tool used to address the origin and authenticity of content rather than the accuracy of the content itself. Fox News is facing a lawsuit brought by technology firm Smartmatic related to accusations the media outlet pushed a false narrative related to the results of the 2020 presidential election in the United States. In April, Fox settled a similar lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, resulting in the media outlet paying $787 million.

In December, The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging unauthorized use of its content for training AI chatbots. The case was groundbreaking, with many media organizations struggling to adapt to a new landscape with AI-generated content. For much of 2023, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike partly over the studios’ use of AI tools.