Citing the growth of AI in almost all of the industries, now even Journalism has been hit by a similar fate. Recently, OpenAI and Associated Press (AP) have announced a partnership to train AI on news articles.
This partnership is being considered as a very crucial and significant step in the intersection of journalism and artificial intelligence, with some of the greatest implications that could reshape the future of both the industries.
The Power Players OpenAI and Associated Press
OpenAI, a leading AI research lab, has been at the forefront of developing advanced AI models like ChatGPT. On the other hand, the Associated Press which was established in 1846, is one of the world's most well-read newswire services. The collaboration between these two power players is the first of its kind between a majority of AI vendors and a media outlet.
The Deal, Licensing, and Expertise Exchange
Under the terms of the partnership, OpenAI will license text content from the AP news archives for training large language models (LLMs). In return, AP will gain access to OpenAI's technology and product expertise. However, it's important to note that AP will not use generative AI to write news stories.
The Impact of Generative AI on Journalism
This deal brings AP into the generative AI era and informs OpenAI's LLMs with human-authored news intelligence. The partnership is expected to enhance the capabilities and usefulness of OpenAI's systems. However, it has also sparked debates about the use of public data without permission, leading to lawsuits and regulatory investigations.
About Financial Terms and User Reach
While the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, the partnership's reach is significant. OpenAI's ChatGPT LLM has nearly 200 million monthly users, and AP's content reaches four billion people daily through syndication to thousands of news outlets.
Supporting Journalism and Respecting Intellectual Property
OpenAI has committed to ‘supporting the vital work of journalism'. Protecting copyright and valuing the news industry are critical aspects of the partnership between OpenAI and AP. This commitment is particularly important in light of recent criticism faced by OpenAI and other generative AI vendors for scraping publicly available data without consent.
AP's History with AI
In a broader view, AP has a vast history of using non-generative forms of AI to automate tasks like composing corporate earnings reports and voice/video transcription. The organization also launched an AI-powered search function recently to help users find images and videos more easily.
The partnership between OpenAI and AP is a landmark move that could shape the future of journalism and AI. By combining OpenAI's advanced AI technology with AP's extensive news archives, the collaboration promises to enhance AI training while respecting intellectual property rights and supporting the vital work of journalism.
Another role of AI in the Journalism industry
The Indian media industry has welcomed its first regional Artificial Intelligence (AI) news anchor, Lisa. This development has marked a big leap in broadcasting and journalism.
Bringing AI technology to the forefront of news delivery will be seen as a huge change as a whole.
Similar to the Lisa AI, the South Indian News Channel, Power TV also introduced their AI Anchor named, Soundarya. The AI was aired on July 12, 2023 and as per the reports, the first ever line it spoke was “Hello everyone. AI is leaving its footprint in every industry, and it has entered the TV news industry as well. A few of me colleagues (AI news presenters) started presenting news in some of the channels in north India. I am Soundarya, south India’s first robotic anchor by Power TV.”
Who is Lisa?
Lisa, introduced by Odisha TV (OTV), is an AI-powered news anchor capable of delivering news in multiple languages, including Odia as well as in English. The introduction of Lisa is a groundbreaking moment in the field of TV broadcasting and journalism, pushing the boundaries of AI in the media industry.
Lisa is set to host news updates on OTV. Beyond her multilingual capabilities, the ultimate goal is to develop Lisa's interactive skills. Efforts are underway to enhance Lisa's proficiency in the Odia language, acknowledging the challenge of training an AI in regional languages.
OTV has also been encouraging viewers to connect with Lisa on various social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This move not only enhances viewer engagement but also showcases the potential of AI in creating a more interactive and personalized news experience.
AI Anchors in India and Beyond
The introduction of Lisa follows the earlier debut of Sana, another AI news anchor introduced by the India Today Group. Sana presents news updates during the 9 Pm slot every evening and later is taken over by a human news anchor.
About the serious issues of job loss that AI has been a reason of, the India Today boss Vibhor Gandotra has assured that no job losses will impact the channel by the inclusion of an AI news anchor.
Internationally, AI news anchors have been in use since 2018, with China's Xinhua news agency creating the world's first AI-powered female news anchor. The trend is growing, with more countries exploring the potential of AI in news broadcasting.
Xin Xiaomeng, was introduced by Xinhua and the search engine Sogou. The news anchor has been programmed to behave like a human and at the same time also read the news. Just like Xin Xiaomeng, earlier the Chinese news agency also had launched Qiu Hao, which was the first ever male AI news Anchor in the whole world. It was introduced at the World Internet Conference, in China.
Also an enhanced version of the male anchor, the Xin Xiaohao created by Xinhua as well as Sogou could stand up and also was great at making gestures. He was also developed to move his mouth with a much more natural effect.
And it's not just the news anchors that are taking over the Journalism industry but also the simplest effect of Text To Speech.
Text to Speech in Journalism
This might sound too overly exaggerated, but even the simplest fun filled filters on social media platforms, the text to speech filters, have now become a daily trouble or the reason to worry for the Journalism industry leaders and workers.
With the AI voice tool taking over the jobs of the voice of a human news anchor, it can be sensed that even the media industry is surely changing at a larger pace.
Source: Deadline.com
