The announcement comes amid controversies over the use of AI in journalism, including plagiarism, low-quality content, and misleading information. Questions remain about the depth of the partnership, the level of human oversight, and potential financial rewards for content providers. The move is seen as an attempt by Axel Springer to find new revenue sources as traditional advertising revenues decline. However, concerns remain about the potential for more AI content-related scandals and the ability of AI to accurately and ethically produce nonfiction content.
Key takeaways:
- German media company Axel Springer has announced a global partnership with OpenAI to strengthen independent journalism in the age of artificial intelligence. The partnership will involve using ChatGPT to provide summaries of selected global news content from Axel Springer’s media brands.
- The announcement comes amidst controversies involving the use of AI in journalism, including instances of error-laden and plagiarized AI-generated material, low-quality AI-generated travel guides, and flawed AI-generated sports roundups.
- There are still many questions about the partnership, including the depth of the integration, the level of human oversight, and whether writers and editors will be financially rewarded for the content they provide.
- Axel Springer's CEO, Mathias Döpfner, stated that the company wants to explore the opportunities of AI-empowered journalism to bring quality, societal relevance, and the business model of journalism to the next level. However, the potential risks and shortcomings of using AI for nonfiction purposes have yet to be meaningfully addressed.