What does generative AI mean for the news industry?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Generative AI’s impact on journalism is both revolutionary as it is murky.

I’ve been writing stories my entire professional life, whether it’s as a journalist, or as a public relations professional for a company or a brand.

Authentic story telling is close to my heart and in my opinion, it’s the only thing that can move the needle in any way.

In other words, when writing non-fiction, true stories that are well-researched and well-written are what will get it eyeballs, stir emotion, educate and encourage action.

Having said that, with the rapid emergence and widespread adoption of generative AI, there are many questions that come to the forefront:

• What is AI’s role in journalism?
• How will we distinguish between AI generated and human-generated stories?
• How will news outlets stay ethical and accountable to their jobs and audience?
• How can media outlets ensure that they are using AI to work better and faster, without compromising quality journalism?
• Should news outlets be allowing AI tools to scrape their data?

Answering these questions are full of complexities, debates, nuances and unknowns.