Hearts & Minds: How media is using ai to open a new window on its content

The media is in a panic about AI. The abiding theory has it that titles and programmes will close and journalists lose their jobs as cuts are made in response to the belief that readers, viewers will not need them anymore. Certainly, looking across the national and international landscape, the current situation is grim. There are signs, though, of hope, of the new technology being adapted to make the reading, viewing experience better – and crucially, saving the content generation upon which it is based.

At the London School of Economics they’re running a global initiative, JournalismAI that informs media organisations on the potential AI affords. It’s focusing on the good rather than bad, and has a section devoted to Case Studies, listing experiments and collaborations in which machine learning is used to create new opportunities and improve workflows and tools. One such has been launched at New Civil Engineer. Within news journalism, the UK magazine has long been respected for the quality of its output, producing stories that are seized upon by the nationals, and as a training ground for young reporters who have gone on to become distinguished names. It’s produced Ask NCE which enables subscribers to ‘Ask a question about clients, projects, sectors, people, techniques, technologies, sustainability etc issues’ and it will read all the back copies of NCE and come up instant answers. It searches NCE articles, nothing else, so the response is drawn from their trusted coverage.

Others are doing similar. What’s appealing is the focus only on their own material, it’s not in danger of ‘pollution’ from a less reliable source. For corporates and comms professionals this means there are go to places for smart assistance, they are not making broad searches across everybody and everything, they’re using a database of expert knowledge. The current staff continue to write their news stories and features which carry on being lapped up across the industry; meanwhile, customers can access that vast library of information to help solve a present-day problem. What it’s not is algorithms replacing journalists; likewise, companies and organisations can interact with them same as always.

Whether this is where it ends for AI and some sections of the media is impossible to tell. Such is the pace of change it would be foolish for anyone to predict. Certainly, it makes sense, harnessing the best of both, marrying the power and speed of AI with a superb editorial resource.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.