Google’s New Neural Network Could Replace Journalists
Google is testing a product that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to generate news articles. The company introduced it to the media. The tool is known internally under the working name Genesis.
Genesis is designed to collect information and automatically generate news articles. Google believes that such a tool can be very useful for journalists, as it automates some tasks, freeing up their time for other important work.
The New York Times report says that some editors have expressed doubts about this tool, calling it “unreliable“. Their concern is that Genesis may not notice the effort put into creating accurate and reliable news content.
Journalism professor and media columnist Jeff Jarvis said that Google’s new tool has potential pros and cons. He stressed that journalists should use it if it provides reliable facts. But if editors use the technology on topics “requiring subtlety and cultural understanding,” it could undermine the credibility not only of the tool, but also of the news organizations that use it.
Media outlets like The Times, NPR and Insider have already notified their staff that they intend to explore the potential use of AI to see how it can be applied responsibly in the news industry.
