Kimberly Yánez

I like to think of AI integration in Journalism as hiring a secret assistant, even though newsroom around the world are using AI tools on the daily.  

To illustrate this, you’re a journalist with a tight deadline and a mountain of information to go through. You can ask the AI particular questions to help you dig up the details or spot trends that make your story pop.

Let’s say you’re prepping for a big interview. Chatting with an AI can be like a rehearsal. You toss questions at it and tweak them until they’re sharp enough.

And when it comes to writing, it’s like bouncing ideas off a colleague. You give the AI a rough sketch of what you’re thinking, and it helps you flesh out an outline or even draft up something you can work with.

At this point in my career, I am more than willing to give this a try, especially now that I am writing blog posts again and I am immersing myself in the freelance realm.

So far, it has been excellent as an editor of my pitches, general emails, and SEO strategies.

But here’s the kicker:

Even though AI can be super helpful, it’s a bit like a rookie reporter. It can fetch facts fast, but you, the seasoned journalist, need to double-check everything. The AI might need to catch up on the subtleties or the real heart of a story. For that reason, while it’s a nifty tool for getting the groundwork done, the human touch is what brings the story to life and makes sure everything checks out.

Let’s discuss this a bit more.

---

Is It Worth Learning to Prompt as a Journalist?

I’ve stumbled upon some reports and opinion pieces that are in favor and against the idea of making prompt engineering an industry role in journalism.

As AI systems become more sophisticated, they may require less specific instructions to produce high-quality outputs. We’ve seen it in the progression from GPT-3 to GPT-4. It demonstrates improvements in understanding and generating natural language responses.

However, while prompt engineering may become less critical for everyday interactions with AI, it’s likely to remain an important skill for complex or high-stakes applications.

Journalists who can effectively communicate with AI will be able to extract more nuanced information, push the boundaries of creative collaboration, and ensure that AI-generated outputs align with human intentions.

A recent survey by JournalismAI, a project connected to the LSE’s Polis think tank, found that 75% of news organizations across the globe are now using AI. It’s helping them with everything from hunting down stories to getting them ready and sent out to readers and viewers.

Additionally, it’s feasible for current AI models to achieve high performance with training data sourced exclusively from within a media organization. IJNet created an AI Tool for journalists and found that models trained on high-quality, internally produced content can meet their desired standards of style and quality.

However, they remarked it involves an iterative process where teams continuously refine the model, addressing its shortcomings with carefully crafted examples that guide the AI toward the desired output.

On that note problem formulation and data training, as some of the critics have identified, are indeed timeless and crucial skills in AI integration in journalism. We can all agree, that it transcends the mechanics of interacting with any particular AI system.

For instance, being able to clearly define a problem is the first step in finding a solution, and in the context of AI, it means setting the stage for the tool to assist in the most effective way possible. 

Hence, while the technical aspects of prompt engineering in journalism might evolve and even become automated to some extent, the human capacity to define problems, envision solutions, and provide diverse and inclusive data will continue to be indispensable in leveraging AI’s full potential.

---

Case Study: La Silla Vacía’s AI Integration

La Silla Vacía, a Colombian news outlet, exemplifies the potential of AI in journalism, according to Harvard Business Review. With support from IMS and a grant from the AI Impact Fund, they have integrated Chequeabot, an AI bot developed by Argentinean fact-checking outlet Chequeado, to enhance their fact-checking process.

AI-Powered Fact-Checking

Chequeabot serves multiple functions in the fact-checking domain:

• Detecting false claims in political speeches and social media.
• Recording speeches for easier claim detection.
• Providing a curated list of fact-checkable tweets by politicians.

This AI integration has enabled La Silla Vacía to identify and verify claims more efficiently, significantly impacting the political debate in real time.

Real-Time Verification During Elections

The AI technology proved invaluable during Colombia’s presidential election in May 2022. It allowed La Silla Vacía to fact-check multiple candidates in TV debates and publish their findings within hours, showcasing the speed and accuracy AI can bring to high-pressure news environments.

---

AI Integration and Media Sustainability

BBC News Labs suggest AI could lead to a more sustainable form of journalism with synthetic media offering innovative ways to engage with news content means that these institutions see AI as a tool that can reshape how news organizations operate and interact with their audiences.

This team believes in integrating AI and automation in modern journalism to not only save time and resources but also to create content that resonates with the changing consumption habits of audiences, particularly the youth. Their mapping work also highlights the balance between technological innovation and the irreplaceable judgment of professional journalists.

I am trying not to worry though, since this isn’t a tale of robots taking over the newsroom. At the heart of it all, there’s still the human touch. Journalists are still, ensuring that what you get is not just quick and catchy but also true and trustworthy.

To exemplify this, let’s generate some synthetic media, shall we?

I used ChatGPT-4 to help me categorize the work that BBC News Lab is doing and their conclusions to make it SEO-friendly. And without further ado, this is what this tool and I made sense of their findings: 

Acknowledging the Challenge: We all know the media landscape is rapidly evolving, with news being consumed in various ways and not always from reliable sources. There’s a noted trend of news avoidance, particularly within marginalized communities who feel misrepresented by mainstream media or overwhelmed by it.

Innovative Partnerships: BBC News has partnered with Media Cymru to explore radical solutions to these issues. Shirish Kulkarni, with his extensive experience in journalism and research on new storytelling methods, is at the forefront of this initiative.

Redefining Value: The project aims to redefine what is considered valuable journalism by moving away from traditional news stories that may not have direct relevance to readers’ lives. Instead, it seeks to focus on journalism that addresses systemic issues and provides context and analysis that can lead to positive change.

Information Needs Over News: The term information needs is preferred over news, suggesting a shift towards content that is inherently useful and actionable for the audience, rather than just reporting isolated events.

Engagement and Action: There is a push to move beyond the idea of objective journalism that doesn’t encourage action. The project suggests that journalism should empower citizens to engage with their communities.

And all of this seems to only be possible with AI Integration.

Yet, the integration of AI in journalism is a nuanced process. It’s not just about technological progress but also about maintaining the integrity of journalism as a democratic institution. Accurate and efficient information delivery remains the core objective, and AI, when used judiciously, can support this mission. 

---

Skeptics of AI Integration in Journalism

Journalism’s potential to drive societal change is undeniable, but the integration of AI in this process is not without its skeptics. While AI can help track the impact of news stories, there is skepticism about whether it can truly understand and enhance the subtleties of human communication and the complex ways in which people engage with news to drive real-world action.

There are valid concerns about its ability to truly capture the nuances of human experiences. Some believe the reliance on algorithms to sift through data could lead to overlooking stories that matter, potentially disconnecting journalism from the very human stories it seeks to tell.

The idea of AI as a personalized news curator might seem appealing, yet it raises questions about the filter bubbles it could create. There’s a risk that AI might narrow our exposure to diverse perspectives, feeding us a diet of information that reinforces our existing beliefs rather than challenging us with a variety of viewpoints.

And we definitely need to keep an eye on that.

Bottom Line

The integration of AI into journalism is a multifaceted development with significant potential to transform how news is sourced, curated, and disseminated. While AI offers the promise of streamlining operations and uncovering deep, data-driven insights, it also brings forth challenges and concerns. 

The apprehensions range from the potential erosion of nuanced human storytelling to the creation of echo chambers through personalized content curation. Furthermore, there’s skepticism about AI’s ability to fully grasp the complexities of human interaction and its role in inciting meaningful societal change.

We all agree problem formulation requires a deep understanding of the issue at hand, the goals to be achieved, and the constraints to be considered. It’s a skill that relies on critical thinking, creativity, and strategic planning. It’s incredibly human-dependent. 

As the industry navigates this technological evolution, news organizations must maintain a balance between leveraging AI’s capabilities and preserving the core values of journalism: accuracy, fairness, and a deep connection to the human experience. 

The ongoing discourse around AI in journalism underscores the need for a thoughtful and critical approach to its adoption—one that continuously evaluates both its benefits and its implications to ensure that the heart of journalism remains intact.