Envisioning the Applications and Implications of Generative AI for News Media

Abstract

This article considers the increasing use of algorithmic decision-support systems and synthetic media in the newsroom, and explores how generative models can help reporters and editors across a range of tasks from the conception of a news story to its distribution. Specifically, we draw from a taxonomy of tasks associated with news production, and discuss where generative models could appropriately support reporters, the journalistic and ethical values that must be preserved within these interactions, and the resulting implications for design contributions in this area in the future. Our essay is relevant to practitioners and researchers as they consider using generative AI systems to support different tasks and workflows.