Since its public launch a few weeks ago, ChatGPT has captured the imagination of many in the media. And scared plenty of others. What does an AI tool that can quickly write paragraphs of (mostly accurate) text mean for journalists, ad copywriters and others? Like the image-generating tool Dall-E, there is no doubt that it will eventually have a major effect, but is it time to freak out? We are seeing some publications already use AI tools to produce formulaic stories, but it mostly seems that for now, at least, humans are going still going to have to be part of the process.
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The direction of travel is one way though, so AI in journalism is an important topic to explore. It is only going to become more relevant as time goes on. More advanced tools are already being developed.
Host Charlotte Henry is joined by tech journalist Tom Merritt to discuss the effects AI will have across journalism and media. Simple tasks could be automated and this could allow for better, more investigative, journalism. However, there are risks and downsides too. How will we know what images are real? Can an AI really tell a story, not just regurgitate facts? The risk of manipulation and falsehood is very real.
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What AI Might Mean For Journalism