Man vs machine: Could AI be the future of journalism?

Dave Maclean considers how soon we will all be reading news stories generated by an army of robots

Wednesday 26 October 2022 21:30 BST

Human-written stories could be a thing of the past if tech companies have their way (PA)

Al can be used to generate entire articles, coasting on the fumes of a headline or topic, that’s been fed to it.

And while Al is often used to augment or supplement human activity in various professions, including journalism, there is no evidence that artificial intelligence is taking over journalism.

For instance, many news organisations use Al-powered chatbots to engage with readers and help them find the news they need. Al can also be used to help journalists sort through large data sets to find relevant information and stories.

Now, perhaps you think you’d notice right away if something wasn’t written by a real human – but unless you spotted that every line before this one was written by an Al program, you’d be mistaken.

That’s right, they were all generated with the tap of some keys based on the prompt: “Should we be concerned about Al taking over journalism?”

It’s an odd feeling, isn’t it? You were just tricked by a machine. And it’s a testament to how good Al has become at deception.

That line too was written by Al. Sorry.

At this point, l’ll shut off the programme – a service called Lex, which caused a stir this week on Twitter – to talk from the (human) heart.

The topic came to mind because in both 2016 and 2020, platforms like Google and Facebook were on high-alert for entirely fake news sites, which use automation and folksy names to trick swing voters into believing made-up stories.

We’re now hurtling toward the midterm elections, and the prospect of mainstream AI adoption is now a very real thing.

Two years ago, dozens of journalists were terminated by Microsoft and replaced with artificial intelligence software. The team did not report original stories but curated and edited content from other news organisations for its homepage.

In the Netherlands, one local newspaper group manages to provide 60,000 match reports in a year, using mostly artificial intelligence software.

Maga guru Steve Bannon once said his strategy with the media was to “flood the zone with shit” – but that requires writers. With AI, that flooding can be automated, filling feeds with total nonsense designed to tip the scales of elections.

Politicians often talk about fake news when they mean news they disagree with, or, at times, incorrect information. But what about fake views?

While this opinion piece was started by AI, I – a human – picked it up from there. But in the future, entire opinion pieces could be tapped out by a robot in seconds.

News sites currently use their membership of various professional bodies to show their commitment to certain standards. I wonder whether one day one of those will be a reader guarantee that all of the news is 100 per cent human-written.

I first came across Lex on my Twitter feed via Nat Eliason, a writer who said: “I just tried an AI-powered writing app, and I am so so so hilariously out of a job. It literally gave me goosebumps. Please send me new career ideas.” But he later rowed that back, pointing out that AI could never truly take over all forms of writing. And while his example was raw, emotional writing, I’m also hopeful that smart journalism – where comments are sought, judgement is exercised, analysis offered, and new information is provided – is still immune to the AI machine. For now.

Yours,