The Era of AI Journalism Fully Transitions
In Brief
In order to remain relevant and adapt to the ever-evolving journalism landscape, media organizations must embrace AI technologies.
G/O Media, the digital media powerhouse known for its eclectic range of publications such as Gizmodo, Kotaku, Quartz, Jezebel, and Deadspin, has made the decision to initiate 'modest trials' involving AI-produced content across its platforms. This action is in line with a broader movement in the media sector, where many institutions are keen on exploring the possibilities that AI can offer. In an email to the team, Merrill Brown, G/O Media's editorial director, indicated that the shift toward AI shouldn't catch anyone off guard, since it's a consideration for all media players.
Merrill Brown emphasized that the integration of AI into operations should not be seen as unexpected, noting that it has been on the minds of everyone in the media industry. The trial seeks to generate a select number of articles for its various websites, particularly focusing on lists and data-centric stories. However, this decision has ignited considerable pushback from numerous journalists within G/O Media, who view AI content as a threat to their craft, an added pressure on editorial teams, a blow to their outlet's credibility, and a source of dismay for their readers.
It appears that G/O Media's venture into AI experimentation is already stirring up strong responses. pic.twitter.com/jFgMLW59vS
— Carli Velocci 👻👽 (@velocciraptor) July 5, 2023
The announcement has prompted worries from unions representing the workforce at G/O Media and The Onion. They jointly expressed their astonishment, stressing that the intensive labor of journalists cannot simply be replaced by unreliable AI technologies notorious for spreading misinformation and copying original works. The unions caution that integrating AI in any form undermines their mission, disheartens reporters, and diminishes trust among their audience.
Greetings! You might have noticed that today an AI-generated piece was published on io9. I received notification roughly ten minutes beforehand, and no members involved in io9's team were responsible for its editing or release.
— James Whitbrook (@Jwhitbrook) July 5, 2023
Here’s the statement I directed to G/O Media, along with a comprehensive list of corrections. pic.twitter.com/xlROmxmupA
Prominent individuals from G/O Media's various publications have also expressed their discontent. Zack Zwiesen, a writer from Kotaku, took to social media to voice his frustration and encouraged others to amplify the message. Ashley Feinberg, a former Gizmodo reporter and internet investigation specialist, characterized the situation as likely to turn into a nightmare.
Our response to G/O Media's initiative to adopt AI content, coming just days after recent staff layoffs, reflects our discontent. pic.twitter.com/oIeqoRXf4W
— GMG Union (@gmgunion) June 29, 2023
The ongoing developments surrounding AI-generated content are reminiscent of debates from several months ago regarding past debates the artistic community's role. It's essential to recognize that as long as evaluation metrics prioritize character counts, publication frequency, web traffic volume, and citation indexes, the digital world will see an oversaturation of AI-generated material.
On one hand, AI can assist in producing vast and intricate pieces, filling pages with characters, reports, and documents, thereby maximizing textual content. Conversely, AI also facilitates the condensation and summarization of information, stripping away excess details. Amid this dynamic, individuals are continually analyzing traffic, metrics, and indices to gauge the effects and reception of AI-generated outputs.
Meanwhile, Bankrate has resumed publishing articles crafted by AI, asserting that every piece is subject to rigorous fact-checking and editing by human journalists prior to release. Their goal is to guarantee the accuracy, authority, and usefulness of their pieces for readers. This decision follows a recent incident where multiple pieces were found to contain factual inaccuracies and suspicious instances of plagiarism.
Referred to as a “ journalistic disaster According to The Washington Post, the behavior of AI technologies could lead to significant repercussions, such as academic dismissal or job termination for journalists. In light of this, Bankrate, along with its affiliate CNET, which falls under the ownership of the media conglomerate Red Ventures valued at multiple billions, has indefinitely ceased the publication of AI-generated content following the backlash.
A preliminary review of Bankrate's AI-crafted articles suggests that basic errors continue to occur, despite executives promoting AI initiatives. These mistakes are not being adequately recognized and corrected by the human team, leading to their sharing with unsuspecting audiences. For example, an article detailing the best places to live in Colorado inaccurately stated that Boulder's median home price is $1,075,000, conflicting with the data from Redfin cited by Bankrate, which indicates a lower figure. Additionally, the article reported Boulder’s average salary as $79,649, whereas the most current statistic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals this figure to be $89,593. Furthermore, the article misrepresented Boulder’s unemployment rate as 3.1 percent, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics data it referenced indicates a rate of 2.5 percent. Such inaccuracies call into question the reliability of AI-generated content and highlight concerns about the verification process. Following this incident, the article was taken down, and Bankrate has committed to revising it with the latest and most accurate statistics, ensuring that all future data studies will incorporate the date range when the information was gathered.
AI-Enhanced Journalism Enriches Newsrooms
The incorporation of AI technology in newsrooms around the globe is steadily gaining traction, resulting in the generation of financial updates, sports news, weather reports, and traffic information. Reputable organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and Newswire have adopted AI to create news stories and track emerging patterns. .
Charlie Beckett The director of the media think tank Polis believes that AI can empower journalists by equipping them with advanced tools for discovery, creativity, and connection. Presently, newsrooms mainly utilize AI in three critical areas: news gathering, content creation, and distribution.
One of the pioneers in AI-empowered journalism is Stuttgarter Zeitung which has introduced a cutting-edge machine learning platform called CrimeMap . This technology adeptly categorizes information and can ascertain the time and location of criminal activities. CrimeMap is utilized to scrutinize data, notifying journalists of breaking news, viral events, and unusual data trends, while also assessing the impact of content generated by media organizations.
In Finland, the national broadcaster Yle is utilizing AI to enhance news personalization for its readers. The company has developed a dual-purpose system known as Voitto, functioning as both a robotic journalist and an intelligent news assistant. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, Voitto tailors recommendations based on users' reading habits, engagement, and direct feedback, resulting in a more customized news experience.
AI is also being harnessed to address harassment and abuse within newsrooms. Organizations such as Yle are earnestly striving to foster a more inclusive and inviting news environment for their audiences. The application of AI technologies enables better content moderation, facilitating the detection and reduction of abusive behaviors in order to cultivate a safer news experience for readers.
AI’s Influence on Journalism
While AI has yet to definitively identify their sources, it recognizes the prospect of human imitation and speculates that future chatbots might produce content indistinguishable from human-written work. Given chatbots’ infamous reputation for generating inaccuracies and fabricating sources, their reliability as fact-checkers remains in question.
Considering this, an OpenAI text classifier was used to evaluate the potential AI derivation of content. The findings indicated that two of the pitches and one of the blog posts on Medium linked to the student may have been created by AI. The student was subsequently contacted, confirming that AI technology had indeed been involved in drafting the pitches. Without remorse, the student expressed belief in utilizing AI to produce high-quality content that satisfies the demands of clients and readers, merging human ingenuity with AI capabilities for effective outcomes.
Although the The Observer decided not to employ the student as a writer, Newsquest recently listed an AI-integrated reporter position for its local news operations, emphasizing the changing dynamics of journalism. The impact of AI in journalism remains ambiguous, as evidenced by previous examples where AI-generated articles in health and personal finance were fraught with inaccuracies. BuzzFeed also initiated efforts to implement AI for ' enhance quizzes ', but the subsequent introduction of AI content faced criticism for its cliché writing style.
Gerald here raises important questions regarding the incorporation of AI-generated text in journalism. Should AI-generated content find its way into articles, should it be disclosed ? This topic sparked discussions recently in a San Francisco Press Club meeting, where the significance of news created by humans was underscored. The Observer resonates with this perspective, acknowledging the importance of human-generated content. This concern extends to news organizations as a whole; colleagues at The Guardian are also exploring the wider ramifications of technology in journalism.
For the time being, The Observer remains free from AI influence. As readers navigate through various news sources, they should exercise caution when encountering content that seems akin to promotional material for financial services. The ongoing discourse regarding AI's influence on journalism continues, and its potential consequences require careful examination from both journalists and news organizations alike.
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Disclaimer
In line with the Trust Project guidelines This marks the arrival of the era of AI journalism.
