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- MediaMorph - Edition 30 by Hana News
MediaMorph - Edition 30 by Hana News
Exploring the Impact of AI on Journalism: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Mark Riley
December 03, 2024
MediaMorph - Edition 30 by Hana News
Exploring the Impact of AI on Journalism: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
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The written-by-a-human bit
OpenAI’s lawyers must be wondering if first mover advantage really exists. The latest arrow in their backs is a massive lawsuit from Canadian media companies, including the Globe and Mail owners, the Canadian Press, the CBC, the Toronto Star, Metroland Media and Postmedia. They are not messing around, looking for up to C$20,000 compensation for each article used to train OpenAI’s models.
You have to admire the Canadians' gloves-off approach, and they may have an edge, given that Canada does not have a “fair use” policy but a “fair dealing” policy regarding copyright.
The debate comes down to one question: are the models “reading” their content or “stealing” it? Journalists have always read each other’s work (but are duty-bound to credit the origin). But machines are not journalists, or are they? To win the “reading” side of the argument, you must take a mental, anthropomorphic leap and believe that the machines are reading, learning and reasoning. We might not be so far away.
It feels to me that our Canadian friends are going against the tide and fighting the wrong fight. They would be better off banking the cash from licensing deals, monetising their own archives using AI and strengthening their paywalls to prevent today’s news from being crawled and stolen.
For what it's worth, I doubt any of the suits against frontier models will prevail, not because of fairness or value transfer but because they are standing in the way of the juggernaut of human progress. I hope the Canadians get compensated, but good luck with trying to reverse and unscramble the entire common crawl of human knowledge.
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Mark Riley, CEO of Mathison AI
AI and Media and Journalism
Canadian media companies sue OpenAI in case potentially worth billions The Guardian - November 29, 2024 Major Canadian news organizations, including the Globe and Mail and CBC, have launched a lawsuit against OpenAI in Ontario, accusing the tech company of using their articles without permission to train its AI models. The suit seeks punitive damages and an injunction to halt future use, highlighting concerns over the exploitation of journalistic content by AI firms. |
OpenAI sued by Canada’s biggest media outlets The Verge - November 29, 2024 Canadian media companies, including the owners of the National Post and Toronto Star, have launched a lawsuit against OpenAI for allegedly using their journalism without permission to train its GPT model, seeking damages that could total billions. Meanwhile, some media organizations are collaborating with OpenAI to integrate advanced AI solutions into their offerings, highlighting the contrasting approaches within the industry regarding the use of artificial intelligence. |
AI-generated slop is quietly conquering the internet. Is it a threat to journalism or a problem that will fix itself? Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism - The rise of "slop," or low-quality AI-generated content, is raising concerns about misinformation and the degradation of reliable information online, as it often misleads users with subtle inaccuracies while prioritizing engagement over truth. Experts advocate for accountability in AI development to minimize careless speech and emphasize the need for high-quality local news initiatives to combat the proliferation of unreliable sources. Read more at Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (14 mins) |
Thomson Reuters CEO: AI deals can help protect journalism Talking Biz News - December 2, 2024 Thomson Reuters CEO Steve Hasker is championing licensing deals with AI companies to protect quality journalism. He emphasizes the importance of Reuters' independent and factual content as a training resource for AI models. His collaboration with firms like Meta Platforms aims to clarify the legal implications surrounding intellectual property use in AI training, addressing industry concerns over unauthorized content usage. |
Will generative AI undermine journalism? Eurozine - November 28, 2024 Explore the fascinating world of AI, from its narrow applications to generative capabilities, as experts like Geoffrey Hinton and Sayash Kapoor share their insights on its rapid adoption and societal implications in the latest episode of Standard Time. Join anchor Réka Kinga Papp and her creative team for a thought-provoking discussion on whether AI truly enhances our intelligence or makes us complacent. |
Inside Cognigy’s “Revolutionary” Agentic AI: The Future of Conversational Automation CX Today - November 29, 2024 In a recent CX Today session, Susie Harrison interviews Sebastian Glock from Cognigy about agentic AI and its transformative potential for customer experience. They discuss how this technology enhances interactions and streamlines operations, predicting a future where human and digital agents collaborate seamlessly to deliver exceptional service. |
AI and the media – the future of news could be a ‘desert’, warns UK House of Lords Diginomica - November 28, 2024 The House of Lords' Communications and Digital Committee warns in its report "The Future of News" about the decline of informed citizenship due to the rise of AI and social media, highlighting the emergence of "news deserts" and the widening gap between reliable journalism and unreliable online sources. The report calls for urgent government action to regulate tech firms and address issues like algorithmic transparency and the ethical use of AI in news dissemination, emphasizing the vital role of human oversight in maintaining quality journalism. |
New job alert - “AI-assisted reporter” Journalism - November 27, 2024 Newsquest seeks an AI-assisted reporter to enhance journalism across the Midlands and Gloucestershire, blending traditional reporting with innovative AI technology. Ideal candidates will possess strong writing skills and an NCTJ diploma, with a commitment to accuracy and media law, while contributing to trustworthy local journalism. |
AI and Publishing
ChatGPT turns two: how the AI chatbot has changed scientists’ lives Nature - December 2, 2024 Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT has become a valuable tool for academic researchers, with 81% using it for writing and data analysis. However, while it boosts productivity, concerns about plagiarism and inaccuracies persist, prompting many researchers to emphasize the importance of AI skills in the coming years. |
Research Paper (Preprint): “Suspected Undeclared Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Academic Literature: An Analysis of the Academ-AI Dataset” Library Journal infoDOCKET - December 1, 2024 A recent study highlights the troubling prevalence of undeclared AI usage in academic research papers, even within high-profile journals. With many instances likely going undetected, experts urge publishers to implement stricter policies to address this growing concern. |
The evolving US publishing landscape in the era of open access Frontiers Science News - November 27, 2024 The 2024 Charleston Conference, themed ‘The Sky’s the Limit,’ emphasized collaboration in advancing Open Access (OA) through discussions on Library Partnership Ratings, community-driven models, and ethical AI use in publishing. Highlighting the alignment of priorities between librarians and publishers, the conference set the stage for a virtual event in December aimed at fostering innovation in academic communication. |
Witness of Digital Transformation of Scientific Publishing Stdaily - November 26, 2024 Jay Flynn, EVP and GM of Research & Learning at Wiley, has been pivotal in the digital transformation of scientific publishing, championing open access and enhancing author experiences. With over 30,000 articles published by Chinese researchers in the past three years alone, Wiley is facilitating international collaboration and anticipating significant growth in China's research contributions. |
The MIT Press releases report on the future of open access publishing and policy MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - November 25, 2024 The MIT Press's report “Access to Science and Scholarship 2024,” funded by the National Science Foundation, addresses challenges in open access policies, such as publishing industry consolidation and financial burdens on researchers. With insights on peer review, data sharing, and equitable publishing models, the report aims to foster a sustainable framework for high-quality open science. Read more at MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (3 mins) |
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