How does GaranAI protect copyright?

It provides only data formally licensed by content holders, within contract-defined uses, and holders can choose the use type or stop and delete their data at any time.

What can content holders control?

They can specify whether data is used for RAG (retrieval for answering questions) or model training, and can halt or delete use whenever they choose.

Does GaranAI change the content itself?

Yes. SoftBank rewrites wording and expression without changing meaning or facts, so the same data sold directly by a holder is not available through GaranAI, and it further processes data for AI use.

AI Regulation & PolicyTop Companies' AI MovesAI Business & IndustryTop Companies AI1h agoOct 20, 2026, 06:31 JST

SoftBank's GaranAI data platform enters beta with Kyodo tie-up

Send on LINE

3 Key Points

What happened
SoftBank began offering a beta of GaranAI in July 2026; it licenses content-holder data to AI firms, already includes a May 2025 tie-up with Kyodo News, and tests have shown "a certain level of confidence."
Why it matters
It aims to cut AI firms' need to negotiate with hundreds or thousands of rights holders individually, reducing unauthorized-use and lawsuit risk while paying content holders.

WHO IT HITSNews publishers and other content holders gain a channel to license and get paid for their material, while AI developers and operators of retrieval-augmented (RAG) and model-training workloads get a single contracted source of pre-processed Japanese data.

Not sure about something? Ask the AI

Questions and answers are published on this page.

Summaries like this, in your inbox every morning.

Get news like this every morning, free

Context & Analysis

The pitch rests on a two-sided problem SoftBank describes: content holders worry their work is used without permission or payment, and AI operators struggle to buy quality data because rights checks and contract talks with many publishers are slow and costly. GaranAI is positioned between them, taking licensed data, processing it into API or dataset form, and returning part of the usage fees to the content holders.

A notable design choice is that SoftBank does not hand over the original data. It alters wording and expression while keeping meaning and facts intact, so a publisher's own paid product is not duplicated through the platform. SoftBank argues this also helps AI firms, since the data is pre-processed for AI use and can improve answer accuracy versus general search results.

On sourcing, each processed data item carries reference information such as the issuing organization, outlet name and publication date, but end-user display is not mandatory because it could hurt usability in cases like voice reading. SoftBank instead says it strongly recommends showing source names on AI search answer screens. It cites Kyodo News, a May 2025 partnership, as an early content partner, and points to its long-running communications infrastructure and corporate sales reach as its advantages in signing up holders across industries.

FAQ

How does GaranAI protect copyright?: It provides only data formally licensed by content holders, within contract-defined uses, and holders can choose the use type or stop and delete their data at any time.
What can content holders control?: They can specify whether data is used for RAG (retrieval for answering questions) or model training, and can halt or delete use whenever they choose.
Does GaranAI change the content itself?: Yes. SoftBank rewrites wording and expression without changing meaning or facts, so the same data sold directly by a holder is not available through GaranAI, and it further processes data for AI use.

AI news that matters for your work, delivered every morning.

Pick your industry and the AI tools you use, and get news related to your work every day.

Get it free

Free · 30 seconds with Google · unsubscribe anytimeWhat is AIToday? →

Ask AI

Ask AI anything about this article. The AI reads this article, earlier AIToday articles, and Wikipedia, and cites its sources. Q&As are published on this page for other readers too.