Google has pitched to news organisations a new product that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) to write news articles. The tool could assist journalists with creativity and enhanced productivity, a Google spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Google is in talks with several news outlets, including the The New York Times, The Washington Post, and News Corp, according to a report by the NYT. Although these organisations were not revealed by the company spokesperson, the report, citing three anonymous sources, carries statement from a News Corp representative regarding the AI presentation to executives.
The tool, which is in working stages, is internally known as “Genesis”. It can generate news copy from the information provided and is being termed “responsible technology” by Google. According to informed sources, Google views the tool as a personal assistant to journalists that could automate certain tasks and safeguard the publishing industry from the shortcomings of generative AI, such as the highly popular ChatGPT.
The report suggests, however, that some executives who were pitched Genesis raised concerns about it, calling it “unsettling”. The presentation appeared to underestimate the effort required to produce accurate and artful news stories, two certain executives reportedly remarked.
Google says the tool is being developed in partnership with publishers, and it could potentially “assist journalists with options for headlines or different writing styles”. The company also asserted that its AI-enabled journalism tech is not aimed at replacing the role of journalists in newsrooms.
“Our goal is to give journalists the choice of using these emerging technologies in a way that enhances their work and productivity, just like we’re making assistive tools available for people in Gmail and in Google Docs,” said the company’s representative. “Quite simply these tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles.”
While The Times and The Post declined to comment, News Corp appeared to welcome the development. “We have an excellent relationship with Google, and we appreciate Sundar Pichai’s long-term commitment to journalism,” a spokesperson remarked.
AI-powered tools in journalism became a hot topic with the launch of OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, in November last year. The application instantly caught the attention of news organisations and other businesses for its ability to generate rapid responses with accuracy and remarkable problem-solving skills.
However, issues began to arise shortly after, when users started to report factual inaccuracies and other errors in the content generated by the chatbot. Certain news outlets, which had employed the tool to write news copy for their platforms, also stated that they were dropping their plans to use ChatGPT to write news articles, citing misinformation and other fallacies.
As for Genesis, media professionals are of the opinion that journalists should use the tool if it delivers reliable factual information.
“If, on the other hand, it is misused by journalists and news organizations on topics that require nuance and cultural understanding, then it could damage the credibility not only of the tool, but of the news organizations that use it,” said Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor at the City University of New York.
With the emergence of chatbots like ChatGPT, and Bard by Google, concerns have mounted within a number of traditional professions, primarily those related to writing. A major example of pushback against AI-powered tools is that of the continuing Hollywood strike backed by both screenwriters and actors, who demand safeguard against the potential replacement of their work with AI-generated content and compensation for virtual replicas, respectively.
