In June, the independent online publication - Crikey declared it intends to ban AI-generated news. It used the words ‘unhuman slop’ to describe computer generated articles – and that puts Crikey in a camp that most news outlets have avoided. Indeed, many have signed deals with generative AI manufacturers and distributors to allow their content to be mined for training large language models.
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It’s early days yet – generative AI only announced itself to the world in November 2022 and most newsrooms are still trying to figure out how it can be used ethically. Still, shouldn't newsrooms be considering the advantages of AI - and particularly generative AI - to better engage with audiences, counter mis- and disinformation, or even create much needed forms of revenue? Or is there an ethical imperative to inhibit its use for journalistic copy and image generation? Does that decision ultimately depend on the outlet’s business model?
In this episode of Double Take, CMT researcher Kieran Lindsay speaks with Crikey’s associate editor Cam Wilson.