Gannett has 'paused' the use of the digital content generator.

USA Today’s Publisher Revises Sports Posts After AI Reporter’s Mistakes

Febin MathewSeptember 7, 23AI, Gannett, Journalism

Gannett, a major publisher, has been forced to review all the articles produced by their AI system after it was revealed that they had been using it to generate high school sports reports without disclosure. This comes just a week after they initially halted the project following public backlash. It seems that the lessons from CNET’s controversial AI incident earlier this year were not taken into account. Gannett operates several regional and national publications, including USA Today, The Arizona Republic and The Detroit Free Press. The company designed “Lede AI”…

But there's no guarantee that other outlets will be as restrained in their use.

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AP Establishes Guidelines for AI-Assisted Newsrooms

Febin MathewAugust 17, 23AI, ChatGPT, Journalism, OpenAI

Today, the Associated Press released guidelines for the use of generative AI in its newsroom. The AP, which has a licensing agreement with OpenAI, provided a sensible and restrictive set of measures regarding this emerging technology. However, the organization warned its staff against utilizing AI to create content for publication. While the guidelines themselves are not contentious, unethical news outlets may interpret the AP’s approval as an endorsement to exploit generative AI in a more excessive or deceitful manner. The organization’s AI Manifesto emphasizes the belief that AI content should…

Officials couldn't force reporters to turn over data that might reveal sources.

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Legislation Proposed to Shield Journalists from Government Surveillance of Their Data

Adriana MaraisJune 22, 23Journalism, Politics

Legislation known as the PRESS Act (Protect Reporters from Exploitive State Spying) has been reintroduced by bipartisan House and Senate groups in the US. This legislation aims to provide news gatherers with protection against government efforts to scrutinize their data. The proposed law would restrict the government’s power to force data disclosures that could reveal the sources of journalists. The Senate bill would expand disclosure exemptions and standards to encompass email, phone records, and other information held by third parties. The PRESS Act would also require the federal government to…

The site was previously forced to correct dozens of inaccurate, AI-written stories.

Union opposes CNET’s AI journalism regulations

Febin MathewJune 6, 23Artificial Intelligence, CNET, Journalism

CNET has altered its policy on the use of AI in its journalism after almost seven months of publishing machine-generated stories without revealing their origin to readers. The company’s in-house AI, known as Responsible AI Machine Partner (RAMP), will no longer be used to write articles. However, AI remains a presence in CNET’s newsroom. However, the site states that RAMP is still used in two broad hobbies. The first, titled “Organizing Large Amounts of Data,” provides an example that seems more compact than the umbrella diagram allows. “RAMP helps us…