World press remains cautious about using AI

While AI technology has been adopted by many industries, the press is still raising concerns about this topic. Do readers really trust news that uses AI? That is still an important question for the press at the present time.

The world is still very cautious in using AI. — Photo: OPR

And while some organizations are placing restrictions on incorporating AI into their workflows, many are embracing the technology more openly.

Newsquest Media Group recently posted a job posting for an “AI-powered reporter” who “will spearhead a new era of journalism, using AI technology to create national, local and hyper-local content for newspapers, while applying their traditional journalism skills.” The reporter will work with AI to “help write articles” and will “integrate AI-generated content into newsrooms of all sizes.”

Charlie Beckett, head of the LSE University JournalismAI project, describes a “new world ” opening up for journalism, where anything a journalist reports “will be influenced by AI”.

However, he stressed that the human element is still vital in newspaper publishing. And here is how news agencies are responding to the AI craze:

AP and Reuters

AP has issued guidelines on how it uses AI. The company says any AI-generated material should be vetted carefully, just like material from any other news source, and that journalists should not use AI-generated photo, video , or audio segments unless they are the main subject of a story.

“Our goal is to give people the best way to understand how we can do a small but still safe experiment,” said Amanda Barrett, vice president of news standards and inclusion at AP.

However, the AP said AI could be used for more mundane tasks like aggregating approved stories in news reports.

AP has been experimenting with simpler forms of AI for a decade, using it to generate short stories based on sports scores or corporate earnings reports. Barrett said that experience was important, but “we want to enter this new phase cautiously, making sure to protect our journalism and protect our reputation.”

She added that the news organization wants its journalists to be familiar with the technology because they will need to cover AI stories for years to come.

For its part, Reuters said it is taking a “responsible approach” to AI to “protect accuracy and promote trust.”

The Guardian

The British newspaper is one of the first major news organisations to take an innovative approach to AI, following a message from its Editor-in-Chief and CEO.

The Guardian says AI will only be used in editorial where it “supports the production and distribution of original journalism” under human supervision and with the permission of a senior editor.

Articles will also focus on using the technology to help journalists “synthesize large data sets” or assist with corrections, recommendations and other time-consuming tasks.

Another principle, they added, is to consider the information sources that AIs are trained on, ensuring they are “transparent, objective, and fair.”

Local newspapers

While large news organizations are cautious about AI, the technology could offer opportunities for smaller newsrooms with limited resources and budgets.

News Corp Australia is said to be producing 3,000 articles a week using general AI, while many smaller newspapers are using the technology to publish thousands of local articles a week on topics such as weather, fuel prices and traffic conditions.

A local newspaper in Nottinghamshire in the UK also announced this month that it is trialling the use of AI in news production.

The paper's senior editor, Natalie Fahy, wrote in a letter to readers that the daily will use AI to generate summaries at the top of some of its longer articles.

She said the information would be checked by an editor before publication, and there would also be a line at the end explaining that AI was used in certain articles.

Hoang Nam (according to Euronews, Yahoo, Reuters)

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