Google has been developing and testing a novel AI-based tool, internally known as “Genesis“, designed to assist journalists in writing news articles.
According to The New York Times, Google has proposed the tool to major news publications including The New York Times itself, The Washington Post, News Corp, and The Wall Street Journal.
The intent behind Genesis is to ingest information and create news content, operating like a virtual assistant for journalists. Google envisions the tool to automate some aspects of the news-writing process, thereby allowing journalists to focus on more critical tasks.
However, some news executives have expressed unease about the tool. They’ve commented that Genesis appears to undermine the labor-intensive, diligent effort required to produce accurate news articles.
Nevertheless, this development arrives amid increasing interest in AI utilization within newsrooms. News agencies like NPR and Insider have recently announced their intentions to investigate responsible AI use in journalism.
The Associated Press has long leveraged AI for generating articles on subjects such as corporate earnings. However, these AI-produced pieces constitute only a small percentage of the agency’s total content, with the majority still crafted by human journalists.
Google’s Genesis project could raise concerns over the potential propagation of misinformation through AI-generated articles lacking thorough fact-checking and editing.
While Google’s Genesis project could potentially revolutionize the field of journalism by providing tools to assist writers, the concern for potential misuse or propagation of misinformation is valid. It’s imperative that any AI tool used in journalism is thoroughly designed to uphold the accuracy and integrity of news reporting. If used responsibly, such advancements could herald a new era in efficient and impactful journalism. However, the need for human oversight and editorial scrutiny can never be fully replaced, underscoring the irreplaceable role of human journalists in preserving the integrity of the news.
