Meta’s new commercial terms raise concerns over the use of news publishers’ content to train AI models without compensation. After Google, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is now moving towards the same path of using publishers’ work to train its AI models without paying them their due. The social media giant's latest commercial terms have raised serious concerns for news publishers. The updated terms, which will take effect on October 30, 2026, allow the company to use automated tools such as web scrapers, bots and crawlers to access, collect and analyse content from websites associated with businesses and their use of Meta’s platforms. The terms also state that Meta may use content from these websites to train, develop and improve its products and AI features. This is where the concern begins. Almost every major news organisation has a business presence on Facebook, Instagram or other Meta platforms. These accounts help publishers manage their pages, share stories and reach readers. The update was first spotted by Nieman Lab, which spoke to legal experts who warned that Meta’s new terms may allow it to use content from news websites to train its AI models and potentially compete with the publishers themselves. "For news publishers, this clearly represents permission to Meta to train AI on any content from their sites and possibly to deploy some of that content, even in competition with the publishers themselves," James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell Law School to Nieman lab, was quoted as saying. "On the broadest possible interpretation, this would be used to develop a comprehensive archive of all content that Meta would then serve as it wanted to directly or through AI," Grimmelmann added. AI companies can use this information to build tools that answer questions and deliver summaries to millions of users. But what happens to the publishers who did the original work? Are they expected to keep producing news while Big Tech use that information to make their AI products more powerful and for free? Big Tech wants more data to train their AI models, and news content is valuable because it contains reporting, analysis, interviews and information about events happening around the world. Yet, when it comes to paying for that work, publishers are still fighting for answers. Google has already changed how people discover news through AI-powered search features that provide answers and summaries directly on the search page. Sam Altman's OpenAI has also faced criticism and legal challenges over the use of copyrighted material to train AI models, with news publishers raising concerns about the use of their work. Now, Meta's new commercial terms have brought the debate back into focus. There is another side to this story that deserves attention. Publishers already depend on platforms such as Google, Facebook and Instagram to reach readers. Traffic from these platforms can help news websites earn money through advertising and subscriptions. But if AI tools provide answers directly to users, less people may feel the need to visit the original website.