By reporting that Google is developing an AI tool for news publishers that can generate article content and headlines, the company brought attention to the potential of this technology to soon alter the media profession. Google made the statement with the caveat that technology may quickly cause widespread changes in the business world.
The tech giant said it is willing to work with other news companies to implement AI technology in newsrooms.
A Google spokesman explained, “Just like we’re making assistive tools available for people in Gmail and Google Docs, our goal is to give journalists the choice to use these emerging technologies to enhance their work and productivity.”
The project, dubbed “Genesis” internally, was initially brought to the public’s notice by The New York Times, which also reported that it had been offered to The Times, The Washington Post, and News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal.
In their statement, Google did not identify the media companies in the issue but indicated it focuses on “smaller publishers.” The information also made clear that the project had no intention of eliminating the need for journalists or their “essential role… in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles.”
The new resource arrives as numerous tech giants, including Google, compete to develop and integrate cutting-edge generative AI capabilities into popular business tools. These additions would help streamline processes and boost productivity.
However, since these resources are trained using data collected online, some worry they could provide erroneous information or “hallucinate” responses.
CNET, a media business, published “substantial” edits earlier this year after completing tests using an artificial intelligence system to create article ideas. An article on “Star Wars,” purportedly written by AI and published by Gizmodo earlier this month, underwent a similar adjustment. Representatives from both groups, though, have expressed a desire to keep using the tech moving forward.
