Senior Expresses Concern for the Future of AI in Journalism

Illustration by Shanyah Bedgood
Illustration by Shanyah Bedgood

 The easy way is not always the best way.

AI which is an artificial form of intelligence has recently been taking over how the world works and how people can get their jobs done or if people can even keep their jobs anymore.

Due to AI and all of the many things that people have learned that it is capable of, companies started getting AI implemented into their workforce. In July of 2023, The Associated Press made a deal with Open AI, maker of ChatGPT. Which would allow them to share access to select news and content and technology. Which can be harmful for a lot of actual working journalists.

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that uses a process system to create things like human-like conversations. And as helpful as ChatGPT could possibly be for things such as writing a resume or a last minute book report. it’s not beneficial for people in the workforce, specifically jobs like journalism and news stations. 

Not only is it not ethical in the rules of journalism but it takes away the importance of being able to do your job to the fullest, it takes away the power you have of being able to think for yourself and of the privilege of being able to use your own brain. 

After Open AI signed its deal with the Associated Press, they announced that they were going to award a  $5 Million grant to The American Journalism Project, which is an organization that supports nonprofit news. 

But ChatCPT is not the only form of AI that is slowly taking over work environments. Recently it was reported that Google might have been presenting a new form of AI to popular news outlets such as The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal with a new type of software called “personal assistant” also known as

 “Genesis” which is to help writers create a new pathway in their story and help them rearrange it. 

Software that is supposed to help journalists be able to reroute their stories is unsettling because they are forgetting the importance of being able to write full and accurate news. Putting out false news even on accident can be very detrimental to not only the writer but also the company the writer works with. Not only is it dangerous for the writer and the company but it can be extremely dangerous for the reader or viewer because then they can take that news they heard or saw and go around and tell people the false news which could cause a huge issue for everyone.

If AI starts being used in the press more regularly then it could cause the loss of jobs which takes away people’s way to make a living Eventually AI could take over the rule of people being able to write news entirely and that just defeats the purpose of journalism. Removing people from journalism and replacing them with AI will take away different varieties and the credibility of stories and eventually they will all be the same as each other. 

AI can be useful in a lot of different ways and sometimes it can help the flow of productivity better, but eventually if everyone starts relying on AI to do things for them then they could forget how to do basic things in writing such as proper AP and knowing how to get a story to have a proper transition.  If we continue to rely on technology for everything then we will no longer be capable of using the knowledge we have to the fullest. 

With the rapid growth of technology obviously things like ChatGPT will become popular and while it can be useful in some ways it is not always the best solution. Just because there is an easy way to do something doesn’t mean it’s always the best way.

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