Deal explainer
Taylor & Francis's $10 million-plus AI data deal with Microsoft
Quick answer
Taylor & Francis's parent company, Informa, disclosed in May 2024 that it signed a data-access deal with Microsoft worth more than $10 million in its first year, giving Microsoft nonexclusive access to content across nearly 3,000 academic journals. Many academic authors said they were never told about the deal or given a chance to opt out, and received no extra payment.
What was reported#
- Informa disclosed the Microsoft deal in a May 2024 trading update, describing it as providing 'nonexclusive access to Advanced Learning Content.'
- Inside Higher Ed reported the deal was worth more than $10 million initially, with recurring payments over the following three years.
- Times Higher Education reported the first-year value exceeded £8 million and the agreement runs until 2027.
- Multiple academics told The Bookseller and The Conversation they were not informed of the deal and had no opportunity to opt out or receive payment.
- Informa said the deal also supports internal productivity tools, an automated citation tool, and an AI research-assistant product.
Related deals
SourceX was not a party to these deals. This tracker summarizes public reporting so businesses can see how AI data licensing is developing.
Sources
Public sources, checked 2026-10-09. SourceX is not affiliated with the organizations named.
- The Bookseller: Academic authors 'shocked' after Taylor & Francis sells access to their research to Microsoft AI thebookseller.com
- Inside Higher Ed: Taylor & Francis AI deal sets 'worrying precedent' insidehighered.com
- Times Higher Education: Academic backlash as publisher lets Microsoft train AI on papers timeshighereducation.com
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