Over 70% of News Organizations Believe Generative AI Brings New Opportunities to Journalism
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A new report released by the JournalismAI initiative at the London School of Economics (LSE) reveals that generative AI (genAI) presents new opportunities for journalism. The report surveyed over 100 news organizations across 46 countries between April and July 2023.
According to the findings, more than 73% of news organizations believe that genAI, such as ChatGPT or Google Bard, offers new opportunities for journalism. This indicates that news organizations are beginning to recognize the potential of AI technology to play a greater role in the news production process.
In the survey, over 85% of respondents, including journalists, technologists, and news organization managers, reported having experimented with genAI to assist in tasks like coding, generating images, and writing summaries. These technologies help alleviate tedious tasks such as interview transcription and fact-checking, freeing up journalists' time for more creative work. A French AI strategy analyst noted that genAI could transform how we interact with information, helping us understand vast amounts of data and bridging the gap between high and low data literacy.
Respondents also highlighted the advantages of genAI, such as its accessibility, low technical skill requirements, and its ability to understand 'context,' making it stand out compared to traditional AI technologies that often require deep expertise.
However, despite these opportunities, respondents acknowledged that any AI-generated content requires human oversight to mitigate potential biases and inaccuracies. An editor from a Spanish fact-checking platform emphasized, 'No matter how advanced AI becomes, human standards remain indispensable throughout the fact-checking process.'
Additionally, over 60% of respondents expressed concerns about the ethical implications of AI on journalistic values, including accuracy, fairness, and transparency. This suggests that news organizations must carefully consider ethical issues when integrating AI to ensure the quality and credibility of journalism.
While news organizations worldwide face challenges related to AI integration, those in the Global South encounter more significant hurdles. Respondents highlighted language barriers, infrastructure limitations, and political challenges, noting that the social and economic benefits of AI are often concentrated in the Global North, where better infrastructure and easier access to resources exist.
Meanwhile, many countries in the Southern Hemisphere are dealing with the social, cultural, and economic impacts of post-colonial independence. A respondent from the Philippines commented: "AI technologies are primarily developed with English as the main language, rather than many Asian languages... We must redouble our efforts to create AI systems that can work with our native languages."