Google presented this week a tool that can write articles. This news has created serious concern in the press world. Despite the “reassuring” words of Google, which describes this new technology as an aid to writing, many questions arise. Will Genesis eventually replace the work of publishers? What about the copyright of content producers? And more generally, how can artificial intelligence and journalism go hand in hand?
What is Genesis, Google’s new artificial intelligence tool?
This new technology is not yet available to the general public. An initial presentation was made to various American media outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. Genesis will write articles using generative AI by replicating the journalist’s style and relying on primary sources. He would also be able to suggest headlines, write pitches and perform journalistic monitoring.
The reassuring words of Google
The demo of Genesis was made on Thursday, July 20, 2023. According to Jenn Crider, a spokeswoman for Google, the“the goal is to give journalists the opportunity to use these emerging technologies in order to improve their work and their productivity”. Adds : “These tools are not and cannot replace the essential role journalists play in reporting, creating and verifying their stories”.
OpenAI, Sam Altman’s company, has already struck a deal to dispose of the archives of the Associated Press agency in exchange for access to its AI expertise. Genesis, which is just an AI development that affects print, is a source of uncertainty for the newsroom. Between writing assistance and AI automatic writing, the line remains blurred.
When artificial intelligence shakes journalism
Job cuts
In March 2023, the Alex Springer News Group cut hundreds of jobs as editors, which will eventually be replaced by artificial intelligence. Group boss Mathias Döpfner said: “Tools like the ChatGPT chatbot could improve or even replace the work of freelancers”. The positions affected by the redundancy plan are those involved in layout, proofreading and simple writing. Similar measures are underway in many newsrooms, including those of Euronews or the Guardian. These posts were, however, training institutions for young journalists.
Towards a redefinition of journalism
Google’s Genesis tool is advertised as ” journalist assistant “. Freed from the more arduous tasks, they could then focus more on investigations, scoops, information verification and editorials. However, the fragmentation of the media had already meant lower revenues for the press and, in particular, for investigative journalism.
Already in 2018 Gerard Ryle, director of ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) reported: “Journalism is fighting for its survival. It is dying (…) companies are cutting costs, and first of all the preliminary investigation because it costs”. Will the productivity gains brought about by Genesis allow funds to be redirected towards investigations? Not sure.
Towards repetitive journalism
Most of the articles published on the Genesis appearance repeat themselves, revolving around three pieces of information:
- presentation to the press of the instrument
- brief description of Genesis abilities
- reassuring words from Google
However, there is room for investigation. Which journalist did a real investigation into Genesis? What is the financial stake of such a technology? Based on the algorithms, it is legitimate to fear that the massive use of artificial intelligence in journalism will lead to uniformity of information. Worse, using this type of automated tool risks accelerating the spread of fake news, thus contributing to a loss of credibility for the press.
A legal puzzle
An avalanche of questions
What intellectual property rules will apply to Genesis productions? Is the data provided by Genesis AI secure or open access? Ultimately, powerful machine learning only digs into web archives to develop its productions. These archives (images, videos, articles) are human works subject to copyright a priori.
To these complex issues, which have not yet been resolved, is added that of the protection of works produced by Artificial Intelligence. Will a Genesis article qualify for copyright protection?
The first answers
In the US, faced with complaints from an audiobook narrator, Apple made up its mind “immediately stop any use of files for machine learning purposes”. In Europe, a first regulatory framework is emerging which presents a high risk of “publish summaries of copyrighted data used for AI training”.
Along with efforts to regulate the use of AI, many apps (including “Have I Been Trained?”) aim to protect copyrighted works from AI’s generative web scrapping.
The variations in the uses of AI, of which Genesis is a perfect example, inspire fascination and fear. Newspaper patrons who witnessed Genesis’ private demo called the instrument “creepy”. The name genesis chosen by the inventors of the homonymous technology means beginning. Does Genesis Mark the Origin of a New Journalism Based on Artificial Intelligence? For Albert Londres, the job was simply to “Put the pen in the wound”. In this spirit, journalism, aided or not by artificial intelligence, still has a bright future ahead of it.
