Effects of AI on broadcast newsrooms ‘astounding’ says EBU

For journalists and news outlets, the report said there is no going back as AI transforms how the media work in a new information age.
Titled ‘Leading Newsrooms in the Age of Generative AI’, the report offers insights and practical steps drawn from in-depth interviews with 20 media leaders and academic experts, case studies, checklists and first-hand experience from around the world.

Dr Alexandra Borchardt, the lead author, said: “As the technology races ahead, there’s a mismatch with media organisations right now as they embrace some AI solutions as helpful tools while staying wary about the implications for accuracy, integrity, public trust and the need to stay visible and legitimate in a flood of AI-generated content.

“Newsrooms have become more strategic with AI on how to bring staff along, how audiences react, how the technology might affect creativity and – with some hope – how it might actually help journalism flourish in an ever more complex environment.”

Among the insights from report are these AI “to do” points for newsroom leaders:
• Journalism strategy: Define your mission, your audiences and the value you add to your audiences’ lives.
• Distribution strategy: Find the sweet spot between personalisation and creating shared experiences.
• Platform strategy: Invest in “owning” your audiences and decide where to create value on third-party platforms.
• Tech strategy: Define when to be a first mover and when being a smart adopter will do.
• Data strategy: Define how much trusted information you will share with everyone and how much of your content you will make proprietary.
• Talent strategy: Decide when to invest in journalism and when to invest in tech talent.

“With the explosion of artificial intelligence, we’re witnessing not only a technological revolution – the most powerful in our history – but also a milestone in the history of humanity,” Eric Scherer, Director News MediaLab and International Affairs at France Télévisions and Chair of the EBU News Committee, wrote in the report’s foreword.

“So, yes, we’re glad and lucky to be living in historic times. But, in an area so central to our democracies, beware of the elephant in the room: the loss of human control.”

Liz Corbin, Director of News at the EBU, said: “As a newsroom leader, there is nothing more daunting in this age of generative AI than the need to be at the cutting edge of technology while also being responsible for protecting the integrity of our journalism. This report provides inspiring examples and builds confidence that it’s possible to do both.

“For journalism to thrive, we must add value with brilliant storytelling, uniquely human voices, constant accountability and community connections as trusted partners of the audiences we serve.”