Integrating AI, Automation, and Journalism
The Joint Computation + Journalism and European Data and Computational Journalism Conference met in Zurich this past summer from June 22 to June 24. The venue hosted in-person live-streamed presentations, drawing together respected journalists, researchers, news organizations, and computation and social scientists. As outlined on its website, the conference’s primary goal was to bring together industry leaders in journalism, data science, and news production to exchange findings. The conference’s program was centered on AI in newsrooms (and other media) and offered a selection of presentations, workshops, and panels. Some key presentations covered, AI’s future in news, deepfake ethics, natural language processing (NLP), algorithmic accountability, data journalism, and newsroom automation.Nicholas Diakopoulos, author and data journalism expert, emphasizes the transformative role of machines in information-focused work. Drawing parallels with the Industrial Revolution in his 2019 edition textbook “Automating the News,” Diakopoulos envisions automation revolutionizing modern journalism. Adapting to the data surge is crucial for journalists and storytellers to remain accurate and up-to-date. Embracing tools that facilitate effective organization and utilization should be the standard. According to Diakopoulos, hybrid workflows integrating human ingenuity with AI and automation benefit writers and organizations. He highlights,A hybrid workflow combines AI with machine learning algorithms to develop tailored content that is accurate, relevant, and timely for organizations. Platforms also facilitate content sharing across multiple channels, reaching a wider audience and maximizing returns. Without the use of AI or automation, these tasks are much more time-consuming.
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