Considering Artificial Intelligence for Local News Reporting

• Discussions on deploying AI tools with integrity are increasing.
• AI-generated visuals are being transparently used to enhance stories.
• Safety concerns surround AI due to issues like misinformation spread.
• Ethics in journalism includes disclosing AI contributions to readers.
• AI can assist with repetitive tasks but cannot replace human writers.

Exploring AI’s Role in Local News Reporting

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic recently at local news conferences I attended. The discussions largely revolved around how to effectively implement AI tools in a way that maintains integrity within journalism. It’s exciting, but also raises a lot of questions about the best practices for using these powerful technologies without compromising our standards in reporting.

Practical Applications of AI in Journalism

We’ve started incorporating AI-generated illustrations into our articles, making sure to disclose that they are AI-created. This practice helps us be transparent with our readers. Beyond imagery, there’s potential for AI to assist in other areas, like pulling in data from spreadsheets or even automating newsletter creation—though we’re still far from that point.

Navigating Ethical Challenges with AI

While AI brings promising tools to the table, the discourse also highlighted the crucial need for safety when using them. Recent incidents, such as misinformation spread by an AI tool tied to a U.S. Health Department research paper, serve as a reminder. It’s clear that we should always lean into ethical practices in our reporting and inform readers when AI contributes to our work, just like with the headlines I sometimes use from ChatGPT, which always need editing to keep sensationalism at bay.

Local journalism stands on the shoulders of dedicated reporters who generate stories grounded in their communities. Inspired by AI’s potential, we aim to embrace the technology carefully while committing to a human touch in every narrative. Our readers can rely on these stories being crafted by real people, who know the intricate details of the local landscape in depth, ensuring the integrity and quality of what they read.