Artificial intelligence (AI) is not a new phenomenon in the media industry. For years, journalists have been using AI Revolution tools to automate tasks such as data analysis, content generation and search engine optimization. But recently, AI Revolution has become more advanced and sophisticated, raising new questions about its impact on journalism.
One of the most prominent examples of AI Revolution in journalism is ChatGPT, a chatbot that can generate text based on a given prompt. ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, a research organization that aims to create artificial general intelligence (AGI), or human-like intelligence. ChatGPT uses deep learning, a branch of machine learning that mimics the neural networks of the human brain, to learn from large amounts of text data and produce coherent and relevant responses.
Some journalists have experimented with ChatGPT to write their columns or articles, testing its abilities and limitations. Most of them concluded that ChatGPT was not good enough to replace human writers, as it often made factual errors, logical inconsistencies or ethical violations. However, some also acknowledged that ChatGPT could be useful for generating ideas, headlines or summaries.
Ai Revolution Examples
But ChatGPT is not the only AI tool that is shaking up journalism. Many media organizations are using AI to enhance their content production and distribution. For example:
- CNET, a technology news site, deployed an AI program last year to write some of its listicles (articles composed of lists), such as “The best laptops for 2023” or “The best smart speakers for 2023”. The program used natural language generation (NLG), a technique that converts structured data into natural language text, to create short descriptions for each item on the list. However, CNET had to issue several corrections after another news site noticed that the program had made some mistakes.
- Axel Springer, a German publishing giant that owns Politico and Bild among other titles, announced a restructuring last month that would see “significant reductions” in production and proofreading staff. The company’s CEO Mathias Doepfner said that “artificial intelligence has the potential to make independent journalism better than it ever was – or simply replace it”. He praised ChatGPT as a “revolution” for the industry and said that Axel Springer would invest more in AI Revolution tools and skills.
- Reuters News Agency launched an initiative called Reuters Automated Insights (RAI) in 2015 to automate some of its financial reporting using NLG. RAI can produce stories based on earnings reports or market data within minutes after they are released. Reuters claims that RAI can produce more stories faster than human reporters while maintaining accuracy and quality.
These examples show how AI Revolution is transforming journalism in various ways. Some experts believe that AI will help journalists do their jobs better by providing them with more data sources,
insights and tools. Others fear that AI will threaten journalistic values such as accuracy,
credibility and ethics by introducing biases,
errors or manipulation.
The future of journalism depends on how journalists and media organizations adapt to the AI revolution. They need to understand how AI works, what it can do and what it cannot do.They need to develop new skills,standards and practicesto use AI responsibly and effectively.
They need to collaborate with researchers, developers and regulators to ensure that AI Revolution serves the public interest and respects human rights.
AI Revolution is not a magic bullet or an enemy for journalism. It is a powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. Journalists have an important role to play in shaping how AI is used and how it affects society.