VOA科学技术2023--US Newspaper Company Starts Using AI for Publishing

US Newspaper Company Starts Using AI for Publishing

The largest newspaper company in the U.S., Gannett, says it will start using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to write short versions of stories written by humans.

The company recently announced a plan to use "generative AI" to add short pieces of information to the top of each story. Generative AI tools use machine learning methods to train computer systems on huge amounts of data to produce human-quality results.

Gannett says it will test the system later this year. Human writers and editors will look at what the technology produces and decide whether it meets the company's standards for publishing.

Renn Turiano is a top official with Gannett. He explained that AI technology can be useful to reduce "tedious" jobs currently performed by journalists. He noted¹ that Gannett will test its AI system slowly before it is permanently² deployed³.

Some news organizations launched the technology too quickly and experienced problems. This included cases where AI systems created factual errors in stories. Turiano said at Gannett, "We're not making that mistake."

Other news organizations have said they are taking their time considering how to use generative AI tools. This includes the Reuters news agency, which provided the information for this story. Paul Bascobert is the president of Reuters. He said the news organization "embraces" AI. But he added that the news agency is seeking to use "responsible" methods to make sure the system upholds standards for accurate reporting.

Earlier this year, two publishers – Men's Journal and CNET – had problems with AI generated material. In January, CNET reported that a number of stories written by AI had appeared on its website without being checked by humans. Many of the stories contained mistakes. In February, Men's Journal published some AI-generated stories on its website that also contained mistakes.

Some experts say one of the problems with AI technologies is that they can "hallucinate," or make things up that are not true.

Nicholas Diakopoulos is a professor of communication studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. He told Reuters he thinks news organizations need to take their time with generative AI. Diakopoulos advises that news organizations not use such tools to publish stories without any human involvement in the process.

Gannett recently announced it was cutting 600 jobs. Some of the journalists still working at the company worry that AI will one day replace them. In early June, hundreds of Gannett workers left their jobs for a short time to protest job cuts and low pay. The labor⁴ group that represents some of the journalists said the company's use of generative AI is one of its main concerns.

Gannett, however, says the technology will not replace humans. Instead, it is designed to help employees be more effective and give them more time to do other, more valuable work. Journalists from Gannett's USA Today publication are currently examining test stories written by its generative AI system.

Gannett is also working to develop natural language generation technology. That system would write stories based on already-confirmed facts.

Reuters reports several large news organizations – including the New York Times, Washington Post and BBC – are all working on AI tools to help create stories. Those companies say they are currently testing their systems.

Bloomberg, a financial news organization, said it hopes to use AI to create business reports based on financial data.

Miranda Marcus is the head of BBC News Labs. The group is testing AI tools that aim to write stories based on previously⁵ published information. Those stories are called "explainers."

But the BBC says it is being careful. Marcus discussed the stories with Reuters and said they would never be seen by readers unless a human journalist decided⁶ to make them public.

Marcus said there are a number of ways AI could be used to help journalists. She called the current situation a "whole other universe of what kinds of stories we can tell with these tools." But she warned, "We're not there yet.

Words in This Story

generative –adj. the ability to produce something based on already-existing material

standards –n. a measure of quality that is considered acceptable or desirable

tedious –adj. something that takes a long time that is often not considered interesting or exciting

embrace –v. to take hold of something, to put something into use

accurate –adj. correct or precise; factual

hallucinate –v. to see something that is not real

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。