The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has raised a crucial question in numerous industries, including journalism: can AI replace human writers and editors in the future? A recent report by Axios suggests that AI may soon transform media in a way similar to how the internet revolutionized the field two decades ago.
Some experts, like Claire Leibowicz, head of the AI and Media Integrity Program at The Partnership on AI, a non-profit organization devoted to the mandate of responsible AI, believe that AI can be leveraged as a tool to support sustainable journalism, but with some caveats. They argue AI should never be utilized for editorial decision-making, interviews, and writing high-stakes stories. Instead, AI can serve as an additive tool and not a direct substitute for human writers and editors.
Some applications of AI in journalism might include spotting trends and insights from large pools of data, analyzing social media trends, brainstorming story ideas, and summarizing crypto-adjacent news. For example, AI was used in the Pulitzer-winning Pandora Papers investigation to sift through 11.9 million documents containing information on secret offshore accounts.
However, there are potential risks as well. It is not far-fetched to believe that AI may end up taking away jobs from human writers and editors. AI technology may also have difficulties understanding the nuances of an evolving field like blockchain and may not be able to differentiate between genuine authorities and hucksters.
Moreover, AI can be used to quickly translate specialized research for a mainstream audience, extract insights from long videos, and facilitate better reader interaction in comment sections. In the future, AI chatbots could change the very nature of news, providing dynamic answers to questions about the world.
Despite these potential benefits, it is essential to consider concerns regarding data privacy, AI bias, inaccuracy, legal ambiguity, and ethical issues. The use of AI in journalism must be done responsibly and with strict adherence to human values and privacy concerns. As AI continues to develop, the potential for its use in journalism is vast. The key to unlocking this potential will be a balanced approach that combines the strengths of human and artificial intelligence without sacrificing either’s integrity and objectivity.
Source: Coindesk
