# AI Platforms Consolidate Around Creators and Publishers

**Podcast:** TechCrunch Daily Crunch
**Published:** 2026-08-14

## Transcript

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Now, the tech giants reached out to publishers in recent months about using their content to provide Siri with access to current news and information.
Apple's proposed a variable compensation model that would pay publishers when their content is used rather than through a fixed licensing fee.
This marks a departure from the standard industry practice of guaranteed fees, which are generally tied to broad access to content rather than a pay-as-you-go model.
Apple's considered a nine-figure budget for the payments, the report says.
Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
The discussions come as Apple's been working to significantly enhance our old friend Siri, years after promising users a smarter and more capable AI assistant.
is expected to roll out later this year.
Two years ago, Microsoft described AI as a generational shift in technology that it wanted to lead.
Well, today, the company is merging its co-pilot branded consumer and business apps and ditching a number of unsuccessful AI features.
As initially reported by GeekWire and detailed in Microsoft's support documentation, the tech giant will combine the functionality of its consumer-facing co-pilot app and the more business-oriented Microsoft 365 co-pilot app.
The move's both an acknowledgment that personal and professional uses of AI often overlap, and that Microsoft's prior strategy was too complicated to make Copilot a viable competitor to the likes of ChachiPT, Claude, and even Gemini.
And you see, it also follows a broader consolidation in the AI app space that's seen Claude merging co-work into chat, OpenAI merging its agentic feature operator into ChatGPT, and Google adding specialized capabilities to its Gemini app, like the combination of deep research and web browsing.
Now, according to Microsoft, consumers will lose access to group chats, AI-generated podcasts in Copilot, Copilot Labs experimental features, and deep research by August 18, 2026.
For paying professional users, researcher will offer a replacement for the latter, at least.
Now, the company is also going to ditch its goofy animated character for Copilot named Miko, a floating blob that felt like an AI-fied version of Clippy.
Other features may temporarily disappear during the transition, Microsoft warns, and files generated by the standalone Copilot app will be migrated to OneDrive.
While the company says the goal is to make Copilot a simpler, more cohesive experience, it's also an admission that Copilot has lost its way.
On Wednesday, Facebook announced that it's rolling out a standalone Creator Studio app.
an AI-powered app that gives creators personalized tips to grow their audiences and new tools to engage with their communities.
Now, the official iOS rollout comes a few weeks after Facebook began testing the app with Select Creators.
Facebook's AI Creator Assistant is built into the new app to provide creators with personalized recommendations based on their content style, performance, audience engagement, and goals.
Creators often have to sift through charts and dashboards to understand their performance, but with the AI Assistant, well, they can get quick answers to questions like, when should I post?
And what are people saying in my comments?
Creators can also ask follow-up questions.
Now, by giving creators access to the new Creator Studio app, Meta is looking to keep creators active on Facebook as it competes for their attention against rivals like TikTok and YouTube.
The company may also be trying to reduce its reliance on third-party tools like ChatGPT when it comes to content ideas and analyzing performance.
The Creator Studio app includes several new features.
including an AI-powered comment tool that surfaces the most important comments and drafts replies in the creator's own tone.
Creators can edit and approve the suggested replies before posting them, according to Facebook.
Creator Studio is now available for all creators on iOS in the United States and Canada.
And folks, that's your Daily Crunch.
Today's stories were reported by Aisha Malik, Lucas Ropec, Sarah Perez, and more awesome TechCrunch journalists.
We'll see you here tomorrow.
Same Tech Time, same Crunch channel.
And until then, find us at TechCrunch.com.