As outrageous as it might sound, the reality is AI is being trained or probably training itself to replace journalists. And as per predictions, 95% of journalist jobs will become redundant thanks to Google’s AI.
Now, that could sound alarming. But if one looks at the flip side, it is good news as those who are proud of being journalists can now shift their focus to other areas of media, where probably their services might still be needed.
However, as per Google, AI is intended to help reporters focus on stories that require insights, analysis, and ethical journalism by providing them with the facts. But all this was coming, and many journalists were already prepping for this reality.
For years now, newsrooms have been trying to cut down costs to survive in a highly competitive global world. Also, technology has become a necessity rather than an accessory to dissipate news in these times. From smartphone journalism to data journalism to reporting news on Twitter and Tik Tok, news outlets are totally dependent on technology these days.
As for AI, it is being said that by 2025, 90% of news stories will be written by it. Already in content writing, AI is already employed in transcription software, involving the recognition and generation of words from an audio file. Also, several data-based stories are making use of AI. Goes without saying, adapting and fact-checking have become the core functions of AI’s stories.
In 2019, Google partnered with Polis, a media think tank of the London School of Economics, under its Google News initiative to create a journalism AI tool to promote creative insights, analysis, and ethical judgment.
