Meta has struck a multi-year deal with Reuters to use its news content to provide real-time answers to user queries about news and current events in its Meta AI chatbot, sources familiar with the agreement told Axios.

Why it matters: It's the first news deal Meta has brokered in the AI era.

• Meta has backed away from news content in its platforms' main feeds amid regulatory scrutiny, but news content may prove harder to avoid with AI products that respond to users' requests.

Zoom in: Beginning Friday, users of Meta's AI chatbot feature in the U.S. will have access to real-time news and information from Reuters when they ask questions about news or current events.

• Meta's AI chatbot is integrated into the search and messaging features on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
• Answers to user queries about news will cite Reuters' stories and link out to its coverage.
• Reuters will be compensated for access to its journalism, a source said.

Between the lines: It's unclear whether the partnership includes a licensing component that would allow Meta to use Reuters' journalism to train Meta's large language model, Llama.

• Asked for comment, a Meta spokesperson said, "We're always iterating and working to improve our products, and through Meta's partnership with Reuters, Meta AI can respond to news-related questions with summaries and links to Reuters content."
• "While most people use Meta AI for creative tasks, deep dives on new topics or how-to assistance, this partnership will help ensure a more useful experience for those seeking information on current events."
• Reuters did not comment.

Catch up quick: Meta, then Facebook, made tens of millions of dollars' worth of deals with publishers to use their content in its now-defunct News Tab in 2019.

• It cut that funding, and significantly reduced the amount of political content in its feeds, following the 2020 election.
• While other AI companies have been making deals with news firms, Meta's appetite for news deals for its AI assistant was unclear until now.

Context: Reuters has been a fact-checking partner of Meta's since 2020, but it was never part of Meta's News Tab efforts.

• It makes sense that Meta would partner with a global wire service for its first AI news partner, given Reuters' non-partisan reputation and its commitment to accurate, real-time news.

What to watch: AI companies are under pressure to ensure their chatbots don't inadvertently spread misinformation, especially ahead of the election.

• OpenAI has taken the lead on making news deals, inking agreements with dozens of national, international and local outlets. Its minority owner, Microsoft, recently said Microsoft would pay news companies to feature their content in its Copilot AI assistant.
• TollBit, a two-sided marketplace for publishers and AI companies, announced news partners last week. Perplexity, a generative AI search engine, has announced news partners, but has also been at the receiving end of several publisher copyright lawsuits.