Since OpenAI released its ChatGPT in late 2022, there’s been a buzz of anticipation, fear, and confusion in the media sector. The potential power of AI chatbots and virtual assistants seemed to be truly unleashed, posing as potential competition for content creators and journalists. Tensions mounted as nightmarish headlines featuring AI-triggered layoffs and media house closures started to circulate.
Established figures in the industry stoked these concerns, with Mathias Döpfner, the owner of Politico and Insider, and the likes of BuzzFeed and CNN shifting towards AI-generated content, firing a portion of their workforce in this pursuit. However, the transition has not been as smooth as these corporations might have hoped.
Indeed, the switch to AI has unravelled a host of issues. Publications including CNET and Bankrate posted a string of AI-created articles that were dreadfully riddled with factual inaccuracies, resulting in a public furore and temporary discontinuation of AI publishing. Similarly, the lack of editorial oversight led to a faux pas for G/O Media as it attempted to push AI-written stories. Microsoft too, didn’t escape criticism when an insensitive AI-generated poll appeared alongside a heart-wrenching news story creating an uproar amongst readers.
What’s crystal clear from these mishaps is that AI has a long way to go before replacing journalists. On a more optimistic note, if used wisely, it can very well enhance journalistic work rather than replace it.
All these hiccups aside, there’s a resounding opportunity for media in the face of AI. Large Language Models (LLMs), like those developed by OpenAI and Meta, require a vast amount of excellent training data. The ultimate source of this data is nothing but high-quality journalism. Unlike blogs or social media posts, news organizations produce reliable, fact-checked, and well-curated content. The importance of professional journalism in providing precise, dependable information to AI systems now shines brighter than ever.
The current scenario feels somewhat eerily familiar, forcing the media to reconcile with changes just as they had to during the rise of social media platforms. While powers shifted from publishers to algorithms, media powerhouses like The New York Times adapted to change, achieving more than 11 million paid digital subscribers. On the other hand, publishers unable to compete with a deluge of freebies and clickbait narratives faltered. The introduction of AI offers a fresh opportunity for publishers to regain influence, if handled with tact.
Key figures in the media are now fighting for their rights, with The New York Times suing OpenAI for unauthorized use of its content, while others like The Guardian, Condé Nast, and Forbes are blocking AI bots to prevent content scraping. The News/Media Alliance also leveled criticism against Google’s AI Mode for reportedly exploiting content without recompense.
However, these confrontations appear to be part of a larger strategic play, as behind the scenes, agreements are being forged between AI firms and media conglomerates. OpenAI has formed alliances with over 20 publishers and Perplexity has inked deals with outlets like AdWeek and The Independent.
Gergely Orosz, the author of the Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, points out a change in the tide as AI assistants like ChatGPT become the new portal to content discovery, replacing conventional search engines. With the prominence of AI tools, visibility in AI datasets is vital, equating to ranking on the first page of Google. To have their content surfaced when AI assistants deliver reliable information, it’s incumbent upon publishers to earn inclusion in large language model (LLM) training datasets. And the ticket to this privileged position lies in being affiliated with a reputable media firm with licensing agreements in place.
Far from making journalists obsolete, AI is charting out new routes for journalism to thrive. AI inclusion enhances visibility, while licensing deals provide a steady revenue stream. Moreover, the demand for trustworthy, top-notch reporting keeps human reporters and editors irreplaceable.
As the landscape of media evolves into the digital age, optimizing content for AI training is the new buzzword, quite like SEO. The media houses that anticipate, comprehend, and adapt to this shift will shape the future of the media industry.
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