[EDRM’s Editor’s Note: This article was first published here on July 16, 2024, and EDRM is grateful to Rob Robinson, editor and managing director of Trusted Partner ComplexDiscovery, for permission to republish.]
ComplexDiscovery’s Editor’s Note: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is revolutionizing the field of journalism. This article examines the diverse applications of AI by various media outlets, highlighting both the potential benefits and the challenges posed by this technology. From Cleveland[dot]com’s generative AI drafts to Aftonbladet’s AI-driven article summaries, and The Washington Post’s Climate Answers chatbot, the deployment of AI aims to enhance productivity and reader engagement. However, the balance between innovation and maintaining editorial trust remains a critical consideration. This exploration offers valuable insights for cybersecurity, information governance, and eDiscovery professionals navigating the intersection of AI and media.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gaining traction globally, with various media outlets exploring and implementing AI-based tools to streamline their operations. In Cleveland, Cleveland.com has started using generative AI to produce initial drafts for local news stories. This AI-assisted approach aims to maximize the efficiency of a slim staff, a common challenge in the current economic landscape of journalism.
Chris Quinn, editor at Cleveland.com, expressed his vision for AI tools in a column in February 2023, stating, “I would love an AI tool that could handle some of the more tedious parts of our profession. A tool that could examine property sales and produce a basic report summarizing the latest trends would save us time, freeing up our reporters to do the deeper work that AI tools cannot.” Despite some skepticism regarding the accuracy of AI, Cleveland.com’s AI-generated articles, clearly labeled as such, have thus far targeted minor news announcements, avoiding the more complex and controversial topics.
Similarly, Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet has been at the forefront of AI integration within their newsroom. They launched an AI hub with a dedicated team of eight full-time employees focused on developing and implementing AI solutions. One notable success is their AI-generated article summaries, called “Snabbversions,” which have shown a high click-through rate of 43%, and an even higher rate among readers aged 19 to 36. These summaries appear just below the lead of the article and can be expanded with a click, encouraging readers to spend more time on the full pieces.
For any AI-enabled functionality in the Aftonbladet newsroom, there is still a human in the loop to oversee the process from implementation to execution, to maintain editorial standards.
Martin Schori, Deputy Managing Editor and Associate Publisher, Aftonbladet.
Martin Schori, Deputy Managing editor and Associate Publisher at Aftonbladet, highlighted the newsroom’s commitment to responsible AI usage, stating, “For any AI-enabled functionality in the Aftonbladet newsroom, there is still a human in the loop to oversee the process from implementation to execution, to maintain editorial standards.” This approach ensures that editorial integrity is preserved while leveraging AI to enhance productivity.
Aftonbladet’s innovative tools include Spånaren and SEO Super Optimiser. Spånaren helps journalists generate follow-up story suggestions and cross-questions by analyzing existing articles, while SEO Super Optimiser evaluates article previews for search engine optimization. The Buddy Reader tool supports proofreading by providing advanced feedback on sentence structure, spelling errors, and reasoning weaknesses. Notably, Aftonbladet has used AI to address gender imbalances in their reportage by developing a GPT in ChatGPT that helps journalists find female experts.
In the United States, The Washington Post has ventured into AI with its Climate Answers chatbot, designed to answer queries about climate change using the newspaper’s extensive archive. This initiative draws from articles published by the Post’s Climate & Environment and Weather sections since 2016. Vineet Khosla, the Post’s Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the experiment’s goal: “This experiment leverages artificial intelligence to help our users discover and explore our authoritative climate reporting.” By personalizing reader experiences through conversational AI, the Post aims to increase public understanding of climate issues.
This experiment leverages artificial intelligence to help our users discover and explore our authoritative climate reporting.
Vineet Khosla, Chief Technology Officer, The Washington Post.
Beyond productivity enhancements, AI’s role in journalism has sparked debates about accuracy and trust. Hilke Schellmann, an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and author of “The Algorithm,” voiced concerns, stating, “Yes, it would [reduce reader trust]. People turn to news and news organizations because they want the facts. They want verified information.” Reflecting on the limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT, Schellmann pointed out the challenge of ensuring “factually correct content” and warned about the potential for AI to hallucinate or produce inaccurate results.
However, not all experts agree on the extent of AI’s impact on trust. Jonathan Soma, a professor of data journalism at Columbia Journalism School, observed, “For all the flaws that exist around AI, reader trust is pretty low on a totem pole. Issues with reader trust that exist in journalism are not a result of AI.” He acknowledged the necessity of rigorous fact-checking when using AI tools, given their tendency to produce statistically plausible yet potentially inaccurate statements.
As media organizations continue to experiment with AI, it is evident that human oversight remains crucial in maintaining journalistic standards. The ongoing dialogue about AI in journalism underscores the importance of transparency, ethical considerations, and a balanced approach to innovation. Whether AI will ultimately boost productivity without compromising trust is a question that the journalism industry will continue to explore.
Read the original release here.
News Source
- Cleveland.com Dabbling in AI-Written Articles
- Investigative journalism and ChatGPT: using generative AI for story ideas
- This AI chatbot will answer all your climate change questions
- Aftonbladet serves up innovation with AI Buffet
- Can journalism assisted by artificial intelligence be trusted?
Additional Reading
- Small Language Models: A Paradigm Shift in AI for Data Security and Privacy
- Combating AI Hallucinations: Oxford Researchers Develop New Detection Method
Source: ComplexDiscovery OÜ
Assisted by GAI and LLM Technologies per EDRM GAI and LLM Policy.
