Google is testing AI to produce news stories
Shared By Peter Boykin – American Political Commentator / Citizen Journalist
Google is testing AI to produce news stories
Google is testing a product that uses artificial intelligence technology to produce news stories, pitching it to news organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal’s owner, News Corp, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Jenn Crider, a Google spokeswoman, said in a statement that “In partnership with news publishers, especially smaller publishers, we’re in the earliest stages of exploring ideas to potentially provide A.I.-enabled tools to help their journalists with their work.” “Quite simply, these tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating and fact-checking their articles,” she added.
Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor and media commentator, said Google’s new tool, as described, had potential upsides and downsides.
“If, on the other hand, it is misused by journalists and news organizations on topics that require nuance and cultural understanding,” he continued, “Then it could damage the credibility not only of the tool, but of the news organizations that use it.” News organizations around the world are grappling with whether to use artificial intelligence tools in their newsrooms.
Google’s new tool is sure to spur anxiety, too, among journalists who have been writing their own articles for decades.
After the Australian government tried to force Google to negotiate with publishers over payments in 2021, the company forged more partnerships with news organizations in various countries, under its News Showcase program.
News organizations including NBC News and The Times have taken a position against A.I.’s sucking up their data without permission.
Source: NYTimes