The inferno around the source of generative AI’s powers has softened somewhat following the inking of IP licensing deals between major news media outlets and the top trainers of large language models (LLMs). These licensing deals have been widely interpreted as watershed moments for the industry, yet Faultline has remained skeptical that these arrangements are anything more than payouts to postpone the inevitable litigation bloodbath. One underlying implication is that these so-called media-genAI “collaborations” favor only the established hierarchies – forging long-term lucrative licensing arrangements between the likes of OpenAI and NewsCorp. What hope does this leave the little folk? Well, some start-ups are vying to be the Robin Hood of the genAI arms race, including one called Avail with…