We recently hosted the launch of JournalismAI’s 2023 report: Generating Change: A global survey of what news organisations are doing with artificial intelligence. It was a pleasure to host the launch, and to discover and discuss the findings of the report with attendees from across the news and publishing industry. We were joined by over 130 people in-person, with another 1,300 watching the livestream.
In this article, we will highlight some of the key findings from the JournalismAI report, as well as showcase some of the takeaways from our panel discussion with:
JournalismAI is a global initiative that empowers news organisations to use artificial intelligence responsibly. It is a project of Polis – the LSE's journalism think-tank – and is supported by the Google News Initiative. They aim to educate and inform newsrooms on AI and the opportunities and risks that come with it. Their research will foster debate about the editorial, ethical, and financial implications of using AI in journalism, and to help news organisations chart their way forward.
This is the second report from JournalismAI: their 2019 report surveyed 71 organisations from 32 countries. In 2019, JournalismAI showed that, whilst its role in the newsroom is uncertain, AI is an area that all news organisations should be paying attention to. In the years since then, ‘traditional’ (non-generative) AI use cases have become relatively tried-and-tested.
Above: Prof Charlie Beckett
The 2023 Generating Change report builds upon these findings by surveying a larger and more diverse group from the industry, and considering the potential impacts of generative AI (GenAI).
Prior to GenAI, the essential abilities of AI algorithms were predominantly centred on processing unstructured data and performing regression (scoring), classification and clustering. However, with the dramatic rise of GenAI, most commonly observed through the release of consumer-friendly products like ChatGPT, Bard and Midjourney, a new set of opportunities and challenges have arisen for the news industry. JournalismAI’s report explores what is happening with AI in the news industry and provides guidance on how to navigate these changes. Read FT Strategies’ analysis of AI functionalities and implications for the publishing industry here: Artificial Intelligence 101: Core functionalities and foundational use cases for digital publishers.
The 2023 report included 105 organisations spread over 46 countries. This research was made up of insights from organisations both large and small, nonprofit and for-profit, and from news, magazines and broadcast organisations. The research was conducted through surveys and interviews from April and March 2023. The report was supplemented by interviews and conversations at conferences.
Below are the topics that were covered at the event:
The report shows that most (85%) newsrooms have experimented with GenAI and newsrooms are already using AI or GenAI across parts of their content creation process, as shown below:
Newsgathering
AI can be used in the news gathering process in many ways, with the most common use cases being data processing and analysis.
Newsrooms are exploring tools that automate transcription, extract text from images, and structure data after gathering:
Newsrooms are also looking at tools that can sift through large amounts of data and detect patterns:
News Production
News production is the area where most newsrooms are currently using AI to enhance and augment their journalism, with 90% of newsrooms reporting this in the 2023 report. Newsrooms report multiple ways of using AI in the news production phase, including:
News Distribution
In this phase of the content cycle, newsrooms have found the widest range of use for AI (which can be used to optimise both reader value and engagement), including:
Almost three-quarters of organisations in the report agreed that GenAI presents new opportunities for their newsrooms, an expected new finding given the proliferation of GenAI since the 2019 survey. Most (around 80%) respondents see themselves using AI more in their newsrooms in the four following areas:
To capitalise on these opportunities, newsrooms are looking at upskilling current staff and bringing in staff with the skills required. Most (90%) newsrooms will look to train their current journalists on ‘AI-augmented journalism’ skills, including AI literacy, data analysis, and ethical considerations. At the same time, around 25% of respondents are looking to bring in AI specialists, including, AI managers, data scientists, and developers.
The report notes the need for cross-departmental collaboration to make the most of AI’s opportunities.
As found in the 2019 report, and as still remains a challenge today, newsrooms are struggling with a lack of knowledge and skills to understand AI and the opportunities and threats that come with it. This lack of understanding is shown in the report, as 50% of newsrooms don’t have an AI strategy, and a further 17% are unclear about their strategy. 40% of newsrooms believe AI poses a challenge to their business, with a further 52% unsure if, and what, challenges it poses. On top of this, 40% of newsrooms haven’t changed their approach to AI since 2019, despite the development and access of GenAI over the last year.
Of the newsrooms that are concerned about AI, their worries are that AI and GenAI will exacerbate misinformation, bias, and fake news.
In regard to the practicality of implementing AI into newsrooms, the report shows that the most challenging areas for AI integration in the newsroom are:
JournalismAI recommended a set of strategic next steps for newsrooms thinking about what to do and where to start with AI:
We were also honoured to be joined by three incredible guests in our panel discussion, moderated by Professor Charlie Beckett of JournalismAI:
AI and GenAI have seen a lot of development, investment, and study over the last year, especially since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022. Our panel had a lively discussion over three areas:
Firstly, Dr Maryam Ahmed explained how approximately 70% of her work does not involve AI at all, but instead relies on a toolbox of other data analysis techniques. In the other 30%, AI is used as a tool to make work more efficient, including using optical character recognition (OCR) to make sense of messy text and documents, and to speed up, and help with more advanced data analysis and “fancy statistics”. Another interesting area for Dr Maryam is flipping the question on its head and trying to understand the inner workings of AI and the algorithms themselves. “As AI is becoming more important in our daily lives, it’s important to understand how it works, uncovering the systems and showing where the bias or blind spots lay.”
Jane Barrett explained that Reuters are approaching AI from three main angles:
George Montagu explained how he’s approaching AI from three perspectives:
GenAI has presented new opportunities and challenges for newsrooms of all shapes and sizes. While it can be an overwhelming topic that is tempting to avoid, it is important for business sustainability that organisations recognise a need for training and upskilling. Read how our panel discussed Generative AI’s potential:
News organisations have been forced to change multiple times over the last two decades, from adapting their revenue models to the digital world, social media personalities and profiles breaking news faster than traditional news organisations, and bloggers and YouTube opening the world of journalism up to everyone. Now, the news industry is on the brink of another drastic change, AI & GenAI. Read how our panel discussed how their organisations are adapting to the latest change:
As we’re at the beginning of the AI ‘revolution’, organisations are looking for thought leaders to help them understand and navigate the approaching changes.
Register below to receive a copy of the report, and watch the full event back on-demand.