Most newsrooms now using generative AI to optimise work globally

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is gathering pace and more than 75 per cent of those surveyed used AI somewhere in the chain of news gathering, production and distribution, a report has revealed.

The global survey revealed that 90 per cent of newsrooms are already using some form of AI in news production, 80 per cent in news distribution, and 75 per cent in news gathering.

More than half of the respondents mentioned increased efficiency and enhanced productivity as a reason to use AI as it can automate monotonous and repetitive tasks, according to the report by JournalismAI, an initiative from Polis, the London School of Economics and Political Science’s journalism think tank, supported by the Google News Initiative.

“Generating Change: A global survey of what news organisations are doing with artificial intelligence” included the perspective of “more than 120 editors, journalists, technologies and media-makers from 105 small and large newsrooms across 46 countries”.

“Our media landscape is undergoing a significant transformation due to technological advancements, particularly since the proliferation of generative AI (genAI),” said the report.

This transformation has sparked discussions, and various media coverage- topics swing between positive breakthroughs in fields like medicine, to concerns about genAI's potential to generate undetectable disinformation, exacerbating discrimination and societal inequalities.

“Our research delves further into these concerns, and positive uses, and also reveals that genAI is already reshaping the journalism landscape,” the report mentioned.

More than 60 per cent of respondents were concerned about the ethical implications of AI integration in terms of editorial quality and other aspects of journalism such as accuracy, fairness, and transparency.

Tech companies like Google are building AI tools into their core businesses, even as they raise new ethical and legal concerns.