The evolution of AI in newsrooms is covered by Charlie Beckett, Director of JournalismAI, a project of Polis at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and funded by the Google News Initiative. Their inaugural poll from 2019 revealed that AI integration was still in its infancy. In its most recent study, “Generating Change,” which was conducted between April and July 2023, 105 news organizations in 46 different nations were surveyed. Major conclusions include:
1. According to 73% of news organizations, generative AI (like Bard or ChatGPT) presents fresh prospects for journalism.
2. About 85% of respondents—including journalists, technologists, and managers—have tried using generative AI for coding, creating images, and summarizing data.
3. Because generative AI is more approachable and requires less technical expertise, it can free up time for creative work by handling responsibilities like transcribing and fact-checking.
4. Over 60% of respondents said they were concerned about the ethical ramifications of AI-generated content, such as bias and accuracy.
5. Given that the advantages of AI tend to be concentrated in northern countries, newsrooms in the Global South confront more substantial problems due to issues with language, infrastructure, and politics.
6. With AI’s assistance, journalists will have the chance to concentrate on more “human” work, according to 80% of respondents who foresee increasing AI use.
The report highlights the expanding importance of AI in journalism by posing issues about the normalization or intolerance of depending on generative AI for editorial tasks.
Visit the JournalismAI website to view the complete report.
