Axios is the expanding local newsletter presence from 30 to 34 cities. The catch? It is funded by OpenAI. In the continuing pretense of benefiting newsrooms, OpenAI is partnering with Axios in a three-year deal to cover Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Kansas City, Missouri; Boulder, Colorado; and Huntsville, Alabama. What will OpenAI get in return for its funding? Oh, the ability to use Axios content to answer users’ questions.

As with nearly 20 newsrooms already partnering with OpenAI, Axios seems to have forgotten that the fool was actually the one who was stung by the frog. Instead, we have this starry-eyed statement from Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei: “We launched Local Axios nearly four years ago with the bold goal of bringing local news to communities across the country. OpenAI’s investment allows us to continue our expansion and help us bring important local news to deserving audiences.

Axios will be able to use OpenAI technology to create its own AI-powered systems and products. However, VandeHei issued a memo to employees stating that the mentioned technology cannot be used for reporting stories (surely, because no one has been fired in favor of AI before – oh wait, still waiting and the list goes on). the Axios advertisement but, focusing on that The New York Times is currently suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, so you probably have some knowledge of what this is getting into.