Google In Talks With Journalists To Write News Stories Via AI
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (IANS) – Google is reportedly in touch with journalists at prominent media houses to help them write news stories via its artificial intelligence (AI) model that can churn out proper articles.
The New York Times reported that Google has held discussions over the new AI tool with The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal-owner News Corp, and even NYT, among others.
Google demonstrated the AI tool, reportedly called ‘Genesis’, for senior media executives presenting “responsible” technology that takes in facts and writes a news copy.
Some media executives were quoted as saying that “it seemed to take for granted the effort that went into producing accurate and artful news stories,” while another saw it as more of a personal assistant or helper.
A Google spokesperson said that in partnership with news publishers, especially smaller publishers, “we’re in the earliest stages of exploring ideas to potentially provide AI-enabled tools to help journalists with their work”.
For instance, AI-enabled tools could assist journalists with options for headlines or different writing styles.
“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 spokesperson.
These tools, however, are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles, the company noted.
However, AI has so far failed to produce accurate information in several cases.
In June, Gannett, the largest publisher in the US, filed a federal lawsuit against Google for monopolization of advertising technology markets and deceptive commercial practices.
The lawsuit seeks to restore competition in the digital advertising marketplace and end Google’s monopoly, which will encourage investment in newsrooms and news content throughout the country.
