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News Corp CEO Slams AI ‘Slop’ as Company Hits Record Profit

The Australian

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Description

Robert Thomson has warned the AI industry risks drowning in a ‘slimy sea of slop’ without quality journalism – and his company’s record earnings proves the point.

Summary

Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp, warns that the proliferation of low-quality, AI-generated 'slop' threatens the information ecosystem and underscores the importance of verified journalism. He emphasizes the need for intellectual property protections against unauthorized content scraping by frontier AI models, which could lead to a 'slimy sea' of misinformation. While primarily focused on media business models, the critique highlights systemic risks to public discourse and the safety implications of training large language models on unverified or synthetic data. This commentary reflects growing corporate and policy pressure in Australia and globally to regulate AI companies' use of high-value human-generated content.

Body

News Corp CEO slams AI ‘slop’ as company hits record profitRobert Thomson has warned the AI industry risks drowning in a ‘slimy sea of slop’ without quality journalism – and his company’s record earnings proves the point. All your news for a great price Unlock this story and more with your subscription Digital Access What’s included Unlimited access on app & web A digital version of Today’s Paper Daily puzzles & Mind Games A subscription to The Wall Street Journal Subscriber-exclusive newsletters & early access to tomorrow’s front pages Pay As You Go No lock-in contract $1 a week for 4 weeks($4 min. cost). Then $44 charged every 4 weeks.* *Read the fine print The Australian Digital subscription costs $4 charged for a duration of 4 weeks, after which it automatically renews to $44 charged every 4 weeks. Renewals occur unless cancelled as per full Terms and Conditions. Each payment, once made, is non-refundable, subject to law. Not in conjunction with any other offer. New customers only. Prices after any early discounted periods may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. See www.theaustralian.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. 12 Month Plan Lock in & save $8 a week for the first 12 months($416 min. cost) charged as $32 every 4 weeks. Then $32 charged every 4 weeks.* *Read the fine print The Australian Digital 12 Month Plan costs $416 (min. cost) for the first 12 months, charged as $32 every 4 weeks. This automatically renews after the first 12 months to be charged as $32 (min. cost) every 4 weeks. Renewals occur unless cancelled as per full Terms and Conditions. No cancellations during the first 12 months. Each payment, once made, is non-refundable, subject to law. Not in conjunction with any other offer. Prices after the first 12 months may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. See www.theaustralian.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. Subscribe Other subscription options Print + Digital Subscriptions Corporate Subscriptions Student Subscription Verified journalism. Expert analysis. Study smarter and stay informed with a student subscription View offer View offer Your Selection: $0 Your Selection – Change selection Today’s Total $0 Read the fine print Terms and Conditions Sorry, we are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again later.