Apple is in talks with publishers to license news content for an upgraded Siri, aiming to give the assistant better access to current news and information through a usage-based payment model rather than standard fixed fees. The Wall Street Journal reported Apple has discussed paying publishers when their content is used and has considered a nine-figure budget for the effort. The negotiations reflect Apple's push to make Siri more capable years after promising a smarter AI assistant, with the upgraded Siri expected later this year. They also come amid a broader split in the AI market between publishers that sue over alleged unauthorized scraping and those that pursue licensing deals for journalism and other data.