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AI-Powered Robots Are Now Being Used to Report the News and People are Torn About It
06 February 2019
Credit: ANDRZEJ WOJCICKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES
Last week, the Australian edition of The Guardian posted an article with no byline. The data-driven report was the first of its kind for the publication for one intriguing reason: It was written by a robot.
The article stated at the end:
<blockquote><em>"This story was generated by ReporterMate, an experimental automated news reporting system."</em></blockquote><p>Robot reporters are becoming more and more ubiquitous in another instance of technology transforming the landscape of journalism.</p><p><div id="action_button_container"></div>
<script async="" type="application/javascript" src="https://embed.actionbutton.co/widget/widget.min.js">
</script></p><p>The reports—like the one in <em>The Guardian</em>, which reported on donations to political parties—are data-driven. They can analyze large amounts of numbers and information, distilling these with greater ease and accuracy than a human reporter. Considering the interference of Russian "bots" in the 2016 election, it's understandable that robot reports carry a negative connotation to some, but news executives insist that the development isn't a negative one and that distinctly human skills are now being put to greater use.</p><p>Lisa Gibbs, the director of news partnerships for the Associated Press, told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/business/media/artificial-intelligence-journalism-robots.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage"><em>New York Times</em></a>:</p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><blockquote>“The work of journalism is creative, it’s about curiosity, it’s about storytelling, it’s about digging and holding governments accountable, it’s critical thinking, it’s judgment — and <em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0">that</em> is where we want our journalists spending their energy.”</blockquote><p>In what may come as a surprise, a growing number of journalists and media workers are getting on board.</p><p></p><div id="7d481" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="EJ7Y401574874675"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="973743151570718720" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Sweden/Finland are utilizing robots to write articles over sports, weather, etc Robots can’t replace ambitious and… https://t.co/p81T6wGefY</div> — khue (@khue)<a href="https://twitter.com/bonkhuekhue/statuses/973743151570718720">1520993433.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="82ffd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X42VKT1574874675"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092836786722783233" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Why are journalists often talking about robots when it comes to the use of AI in newsrooms? Maybe because it's easi… https://t.co/zXV1EsL6c4</div> — Colin Porlezza (@Colin Porlezza)<a href="https://twitter.com/herdingbehavior/statuses/1092836786722783233">1549387568.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="79640" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="OZJJSI1574874675"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092768161311670273" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Don't worry about that robot taking your job, it's just doing the stuff you didn't really want to. And with no typo… https://t.co/tUbRBJvMyv</div> — Hasani Gittens (@Hasani Gittens)<a href="https://twitter.com/hgitty/statuses/1092768161311670273">1549371206.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="03a18" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="V7CEQQ1574874676"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1084709465138487296" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I've noticed most articles on automation & AI put workers on the defensive.
ie: "How to prevent robots from takin… https://t.co/YxTqYkjf3B</div> — Brianne Kimmel (@Brianne Kimmel)<a href="https://twitter.com/briannekimmel/statuses/1084709465138487296">1547449864.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>But as journalistic institutions <a href="https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/layoffs-shutdowns-newsrooms.php">resort to massive layoffs</a> at an alarming rate, some think the technology could pose a threat in a news cycle that's moving faster than ever before.</p><p>People still remain wary of the technology.</p><p></p><div id="4a0d8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SZY0B41574874676"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="884401720335507457" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I reckon the first journalism job to be lost to robots will be the guy who has to turn unhinged Trump tweets into articles in like 20 mins</div> — Eamonn Faller (@Eamonn Faller)<a href="https://twitter.com/eamofaller/statuses/884401720335507457">1499692776.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="75e9a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="X5QLDB1574874676"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092926039758725120" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"As the use of artificial intelligence has become a part of the industry’s toolbox, journalism executives say it is… https://t.co/VFlphPpt9p</div> — Shahar Brukner (@Shahar Brukner)<a href="https://twitter.com/BruknerShahar/statuses/1092926039758725120">1549408848.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="44ccf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7BDASI1574874676"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1092758197373415424" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">And I’ve got a bridge to sell ya. “the use of artificial intelligence...is not a threat to human employees. Rather,… https://t.co/OK0DXQFgFz</div> — Bill Scanlan (@Bill Scanlan)<a href="https://twitter.com/bscanlanCSPAN/statuses/1092758197373415424">1549368831.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>Though it's certainly growing, automated reporting has been in use for nearly a decade and is quickly becoming more of an asset than a threat to the news industry.</p><p>Journalists' jobs seem to be safe for now.</p>
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