One thing is for sure, artificial intelligence is here to stay and industries including the publishing business will have to find ways to not only survive but also partner to thrive. Yet there are concerns both at publishers’ end as well readers, who have an issue when it comes to the credibility of news reportage. One such concern which has been raised repeatedly by Partnership on AI (PAI -is a non-profit partnership of academic, civil society, industry, and media organisations ) partners is that there could be a situation where local newsrooms may deploy tools without fully understanding how the tools work and its implications. For instance,
a recommender system designed to boost engagement can lead to higher subscription conversions and greater profitability for local newsrooms. However, this approach might encourage a focus on crime news, which is simple to produce and attracts significant attention
Moreover, there are many tools which use natural language processing, such as transcription services, that work well in English but when it comes to other local languages, these are of little or no use, especially in a country like India. This is believed will create an imbalance between journalists who work in non-English language contexts and those who work in English. Therefore, newsrooms should consider the relative priorities of their goals when deploying AI tools and how satisfying one goal (like time saved or engagement) might trade off against another (such as diversity of news stories or representation), PAI stated in its report.
In the meanwhile, the publishing industry has seen the rollout of a few AI based product, which can enable them to drive their subscription business. Bill Miles and Kevin McCurdy, a pair of tech entrepreneurs, founded NewsGames, a platform dedicated to crafting puzzles, quizzes, and crosswords tailored specifically for local newsrooms. How does this help? This helps news publishers to engage audiences, reduce churn, and create a strong experience around local news. Using Generative AI, the platform allows newsrooms to create quizzes, crosswords, and puzzles, which can be later integrated into any website or newsletter.
In the meantime, global concerns about the use of AI in news production and misinformation are growing, according to a report published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The institute’s annual Digital News Report stated 52% of the U.S. respondents and 63% of UK respondents said they would be uncomfortable with news produced mostly with AI. The report surveyed 2,000 people in each country, noting that respondents were more comfortable with behind-the-scenes uses of AI to make journalists’ work more efficient. “It was surprising to see the level of suspicion. People broadly had fears about what might happen to content reliability and trust,” Nic Newman, senior research associate at the Reuters Institute and lead author of the Digital News Report, said.
Moreover, concerns about false news content online rose by three percentage points from last year, with 59% of survey respondents saying they were worried. This figure was higher in South Africa and the U.S. at 81% and 72%, respectively, as both countries hold elections this year, the report said. (With Inputs from Reuters)
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