Google is reportedly experimenting with an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can compose news stories.
Genesis is designed to process data, such as current events details, and generate news articles. An insider suggests Google envisions the tool acting as a journalist’s personal assistant, automating specific tasks and creating time for others.
It’s positioned as a responsible AI technology that could guide the publishing sector away from the drawbacks of generative AI.
Some executives, who asked to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the matter, found Google’s proposition unsettling. They felt it underestimated the effort required to produce precise and skillfully crafted news stories.
“We have an excellent relationship with Google, and we appreciate Sundar Pichai’s long-term commitment to journalism,” a News Corp. spokesperson said in a statement, referring to Google’s CEO.
Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor, and media commentator, stated that Google’s new tool had potential upsides and downsides.
“If this technology can deliver factual information reliably, journalists should use the tool,” Jarvis noted.
“If, on the other hand, it is misused by journalists and news organizations on topics that require nuance and cultural understanding,” he continued, “then it could damage the credibility not only of the tool but of the news organizations that use it.”
AI’s evolution could alter this scenario by enabling the generation of more articles, which, if not monitored and verified diligently, could disseminate misinformation and impact the perception of traditional journalism.
