AS artificial intelligence takes on more tasks in newsrooms, journalists will still have to make the decisions about how far the technology can be trusted and where human judgement must take over, says Australian Associated Press Editor-in-chief Andrew Drummond.
Speaking at the media summit, Mr Drummond said AI could become part of newsroom workflows, but responsibility could not be handed entirely to the technology.
“Any AI process must start and finish with human involvement,” he said.
Mr Drummond said this approach was reflected in AAP’s AI policy, which also required transparency when AI was used in the organisation’s work.
“If AI is applied in workflow, tell your audience.”
ABC International Development digital transformation adviser Grant Sherlock said newsrooms needed practical ways to decide which uses of AI were appropriate and which required greater scrutiny.
Mr Sherlock added that ABC had introduced a traffic-light system that classified AI uses as low, medium or high risk.
Mr Sherlock said managers and team members could agree on the categories, while high-risk uses were escalated.
He said some uses, such as deep research and transcription, could be considered low-risk when human oversight remained in place.
He said AI could also help journalists work through large amounts of material, identify trends and possible unreported angles.
However, Mr Sherlock said there were clear barriers around AI generating content for newsrooms.
He said newsroom leaders needed to start conversations about appropriate AI use because teams could already be using AI without clear boundaries.
Mr Sherlock also warned news organisations about becoming dependent on AI tools.
Free AI tools might not remain free, he said, creating risks for organisations that built their workflows around them.
“You spent decades building trust with your audiences.
“To be worthy of their trust is something to hold dear and to protect.”
He said transparency needed to remain part of how news organisations approached the technology.
“If we do it, we will declare it, and we will explain it.”
