In yet another example of how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the face of major industries, Google has announced that it is working on an artificial intelligence tool for news media outlets, which will be able to generate both article text and headlines, saving news media outlets costs on hiring staff, by making reporters more efficient.
The tech company also noted that it is soliciting news outlets to partner with it on the use of the new tool in newsrooms.
A Google spokesperson said, “Our goal is to give journalists the choice of using these emerging technologies in a way that enhances their work and productivity, just like we’re making assistive tools available for people in Gmail and in Google Docs.”
Internally code-named “Genesis,” the project was first reported on by the NY Times, which reported the project had already been pitched to it, the Washington Post, and News Corp, which is the owner of the Wall Street Journal.
Google did not name those outlets in its statement, but noted the company is particularly focused on appealing to “smaller publishers.” It also noted the project is not designed to replace real journalists, or their “essential role … in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles.”
The new tool is just the latest being introduced as tech companies look to integrate AI capabilities into the applications commonly used in workplaces, with the goal of streamlining workplace tasks and enhancing worker productivity.
However critics warn that AI has shown fallibility, getting commonly accepted facts wrong, and on occasion, unpredictably “hallucinating” responses which it appears to make up out of whole cloth.
After experimenting with using an AI tool to write stories earlier this year, news outlet CNN was forced to issue “substantial” corrections when the stories contained inaccuracies.
In another example, Gizmodo used AI to write a simple story on “Star Wars,” earlier this month, which similarly required correction.
Regardless, both outlets said they intended to move forward with their use of the technology.
