Meta intends to substitute Facebook's news editors with automated algorithms brought to life by AI technology.
In Brief
Meta will no longer manually oversee the UK Facebook News tab.
The platform will be saying goodbye to 15 individuals who played the role of news curators.
Recently, Facebook has been receiving a lot of attention, often for less-than-flattering reasons. A prime example is Meta's recent choice to rely on AI algorithms instead of human news editors. Though this strategy may reduce costs initially, it might adversely affect the standard of news circulating through the platform.
Many in the journalism field challenge this assertion, positing that Meta's apparent disinterest in quality news stems from a strategy to evade financial compensation to content creators. Last year, Australia introduced legislation requiring Meta and Google to compensate for news, and we are close to seeing similar regulations emerge in Canada, the UK, and the US.
Critics warn that this strategy may undermine users' trust in the news shared on Facebook and potentially worsen the diffusion of misinformation. Nevertheless, Facebook maintains that AI will ensure a level of neutrality absent in human oversight.
Since the launch of the UK news tab in January 2021, a select group of around 15 journalists, many of whom were freelance workers, have managed its content.
Facebook aims to transition the UK News tab into a fully automated format, moving away from human content curation. This transformation supports the broader goal of decreasing dependence on human editors, pivoting to an algorithm-driven approach. Consequently, content for the UK News tab will be solely algorithmically generated, with the transition expected in the upcoming weeks.
According to Facebook, this adjustment is set to enhance the scalability of the News tab while also providing users with more pertinent updates.
The company will be letting go of 15 staff members responsible for curating news content.
The decision to automate the UK Facebook News tab suggests that Meta is becoming increasingly detached from traditional news curation.
Only the future will determine if this strategic choice proves beneficial. Meanwhile, we will closely monitor the developments and share updates through this blog.
- In 2019, Meta launched the Facebook News tab in the US, with news publishers being compensated for their contributions.
- During the summer, the tech giant informed US publishers that their substantial three-year contracts, some reportedly valued at over $20 million annually, would not be renewed.
- There's a possibility that Meta may discontinue the Facebook News tab in the UK by 2024, coinciding with the expiration of its three-year agreements with publishers.
- As Meta attempts to steer Facebook away from a news-centric focus, the company has chosen to cut back on its investment in the news sector. toward short-form video Google has taken a step ahead of Meta by introducing a new AI-based text-to-video generator known as Imagen Video.
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Disclaimer
In line with the Trust Project guidelines Damir outranks the team as the product manager and editor at Metaverse Post, delving into subjects like AI/ML, AGI, LLMs, the Metaverse, and areas within Web3. His articles captivate a vast readership, exceeding a million visits monthly. With a decade's background in SEO and digital marketing, he’s recognized as an authority in the field and has been featured in esteemed publications like Mashable, Wired, Cointelegraph, The New Yorker, Inside.com, Entrepreneur, BeInCrypto, among others. Damir lives a digital nomadic lifestyle, traveling across the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and other CIS nations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics, which he believes has equipped him with the analytical skills vital for thriving in the fast-evolving digital landscape.
