The Associated Press has released guidance on the use of AI in journalism, stating that while it will continue to experiment with the technology, it will not use it to create publishable content and images, raising questions about the trustworthiness of AI-generated news. Other news organizations have taken different approaches, with some openly embracing AI and even advertising for AI-assisted reporters, while smaller newsrooms with limited resources see AI as an opportunity to produce more local stories.
The Columbus Dispatch has suspended its AI-powered sports writing bot after it produced poorly written and robotic articles about local sports, filled with vague statements and repetitive phrasing.
AI technology is making it easier and cheaper to produce mass-scale propaganda campaigns and disinformation, using generative AI tools to create convincing articles, tweets, and even journalist profiles, raising concerns about the spread of AI-powered fake content and the need for mitigation strategies.
Gannett has paused its AI experiment after receiving criticism for AI-generated sports articles that were poorly worded and lacked details.
AI In brief X, formerly known as Twitter, has updated its privacy policy to state that it may train its AI models on user posts, with the policy change expected to take effect on September 29; however, CEO Elon Musk has clarified that private data, such as text in direct messages, will not be used to train the models.
Doug Lenat, a prominent figure in the field of AI, has passed away, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering work in neurosymbolic systems and machine reasoning.
AI21 Labs, an Israeli startup, has raised $155 million in its Series C round, with a valuation of $1.4 billion; the company offers API access to its language models and tools designed for various tasks like summarization and question answering.
US newspaper chain Gannett has temporarily halted the publication of AI-generated sports articles after the machine-written pieces received criticism for their errors and poor writing quality.
Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and other regional newspapers, has faced criticism for publishing low-quality AI-generated articles about high school sports, which lacks context and substance, and fails to meet journalistic standards. The move to AI-generated content raises concerns about the future of high school sports journalism and the impact on local communities.
The iconic entertainment site, The A.V. Club, received backlash for publishing AI-generated articles that were found to be copied verbatim from IMDb, raising concerns about the use of AI in journalism and its potential impact on human jobs.
Artificial intelligence should not be used in journalism due to the potential for generating fake news, undermining the principles of journalism, and threatening the livelihood of human journalists.
More than half of journalists surveyed expressed concerns about the ethical implications of AI in their work, although they acknowledged the time-saving benefits, highlighting the need for human oversight and the challenges faced by newsrooms in the global south.
