Google has recently approached the executives of several news outlets with the proposition of incorporating an artificial intelligence tool into the workflow of journalists.
The AI tool called “Genesis” will serve as an assistant to reporters in helping to write news articles and formulate headlines, the New York Times reported. Genesis, which can generate news content based on the information it’s given, was pitched as a tool to help streamline journalistic tasks.
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Jenn Crider, a spokeswoman for Google, said news organizations should not be concerned about the tool’s ethical concerns as it is “not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating and fact-checking their articles.”
The outlets approached by Google included the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal’s owner, News Corp. Some of the executives who saw the tech company’s demonstration were reportedly concerned about what Genesis meant for the future of journalism.
Sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times that Google’s presentation seemed to undercut the work of journalists in “producing accurate and artful news stories,” according to the report.
The introduction of the AI system comes as OpenAI gave $5 million to local news outlets on Tuesday as part of a two-year deal to play with AI technology in their daily work, Axios reported.
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Media commentator Jeff Jarvis said Genesis could be a game-changer in the journalism field, but he warned about the AI tool’s potential consequences.
“If, on the other hand, it is misused by journalists and news organizations on topics that require nuance and cultural understanding, then it could damage the credibility not only of the tool, but of the news organizations that use it,” said Jarvis.