Robert Thomson on AI infrastructure
From News Corp ($NWSA) Q2 2026 Earnings Call · · Castify Earnings Call
“What is the point of acquiring cutting-edge semiconductors if they are being deployed to repurpose gormless factless content sets? What is the point of spending billions on energy generation when that energy is powering the prosaic not the profound?”
On , Robert Thomson, CEO & Director at News Corp Class A, spoke about AI infrastructure during News Corp ($NWSA) Q2 2026 Earnings Call on Castify Earnings Call.
About Robert Thomson
On News Corp’s Q2 and Q3 fiscal 2026 earnings calls, Thomson described the company as an “AI inputs company,” citing recent deals with Meta and OpenAI as partnerships that he said would have a positive impact on revenue and profitability. He stated that AI engines require “contemporary creative proprietary content” and that News Corp is negotiating further deals with companies that recognize the value of its content. Thomson also said the company is tracking entities that he alleged are “scraping illicitly, illegally” News Corp’s content and reselling it, and that the company intends to pursue them vigorously. Thomson reported that Realtor.com’s revenues rose 15% in Q3 despite a sluggish U.S. housing market, and that digital real estate segment revenues grew 8% year-over-year in Q2. He noted that Dow Jones saw digital advertising revenue rise 12% in Q2 to a record high. On the topic of AI, Thomson argued that “AI is retrospective” and that News Corp’s content is only accessed if AI companies pay for it, adding that “without compelling content, these AI operators are not omnipotent.” He also referenced a $1.5 billion agreement by Anthropic to pay for using pirated books, stating that Harper Collins expects to receive its “fair share” of that payout.