Jinfo: Finding common ground between stakeholders in AI licensing

Finding common ground between stakeholders in AI licensing
Jinfo Blog

16th April 2026

Abstract

There’s a widening gap between how content is licensed and how users want to use it in AI workflows.

Stakeholders are adapting, but they are not in sync. This is creating tension across publishers, aggregators, information managers and end users.

At the core is a shift – from access-based models to outcome-driven value – that licensing hasn’t caught up with.

Bridging this gap requires alignment, clearer rules, and more practical AI-ready approaches.

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At Jinfo, we've been exploring how publishers, aggregators, information managers and end users are responding to AI.

What is our main finding? Everyone is adapting – but they are not in sync.

This has become very evident in our new report "Understanding stakeholder perspectives – AI and licensed content", where we analyse how differing priorities – and limited alignment – are starting to create friction.

The real issue: stakeholders aren't aligned

Each group is solving something different:

For publishers, the challenge is maintaining control and visibility as AI shifts usage away from their platforms – making it harder to track consumption and justify pricing.
Aggregators are under pressure to evolve, as AI-native vendors raise expectations around direct access, APIs and more flexible usage rights.
In the middle sit information managers, who are trying to balance leadership's push for AI, with vendor restrictions, compliance concerns and often increasing costs.
… and then there are end users, who expect everything to "just work" – regardless of licensing constraints – and may turn to workarounds when it doesn't.

The result is a growing gap between how content is licensed, how it is priced, and how it is actually used in AI workflows.

What's emerging is not just a licensing issue. It's a structural shift in how organisations create value from information. Access is no longer the metric. Outcomes are.

Yet pricing models, contracts and governance frameworks are still catching up – creating friction across the entire ecosystem.

No single stakeholder can solve this alone. But those who move early to align internally – and engage openly across the ecosystem – will be better positioned as models evolve.

We're still in the early stages of this transition.

Things are moving fast, and stakeholders are trying to keep pace with how AI is reshaping daily work.

It takes time – and often raises more questions than answers. As one participant in our recent in-person session with the Financial Times put it:

"We haven't worked it out yet."

That honesty may be the most important starting point.

See the new Jinfo report for a deep dive, and practical suggestions on how to understand and manage stakeholders expectations at different levels: