Google is reportedly developing an AI tool ‘Genesis’ that will be able to write news articles and craft headlines, approaching major news organisations, including News Corp, the Wall Street Journal, and the parent company of the New York Post, to pitch them the benefits of ‘Genesis.’
The company did stress the robots wouldn’t replace editors and journalists that are currently employed.
“Our goal is to give journalists the choice of using these emerging technologies in a way that enhances their work and productivity, just like we’re making assistive tools available for people in Gmail and in Google Docs.”
Some journalists are skeptical, with executives claiming the plan was “unsettling” and bypassed the human effort required to write “accurate and artful news stories.”
Others were less quick to pass judgement, seeing it as a potential “personal assistant” for journalists, helping ease workloads by handling basic tasks.
“We have an excellent relationship with Google, and we appreciate Sundar Pichai’s long-term commitment to journalism.”
A spokesperson for Google said it was in the “earliest stages of exploring ideas to potentially provide AI-enabled tools to help journalists with their work.”
“Quite simply, these tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles.”
FILE PHOTO: Google logo and AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/
Some outlets, including BuzzFeed and CNET have already started using AI in their coverage of news stories.
Last month, Gannett sued Google for allegedly pursuing a “deceptive scheme” in an effort to gain monopoly over online advertising. Google denied engaging in anti-competitive business practices.
A bill has also been recently advanced requiring tech firms to pay media outlets to use their news content. A final vote is set to take place later this year.
Meta have also fired back, warning it could pull all news content from platforms were it to receive final approval.
