Articles

The rise of generative AI, particularly since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, has revolutionised journalism by making AI tools accessible to the general public, including journalists. However, it does not only reshape journalism workflows but also presents a critical opportunity for journalism funders to support innovation and ethical AI adoption, ensuring that newsrooms are equipped to navigate this transformation responsibly and effectively.

While earlier research focused on automated journalism, the mainstream adoption of generative AI has prompted fresh ethical debates and newsroom discussions about oversight and guidelines. However, many journalists have independently experimented with these tools, using them to simplify and enhance their work without compromising journalistic values.

Based on interviews with journalists in Singapore, an AI-forward global hub, generative AI has introduced a cultural shift, enabling journalists to adopt new technologies despite challenges like limited resources, ethical concerns, and structural misalignments. The findings propose a “value-motivated use” perspective, emphasising how AI can support good journalism without replacing its core principles. Journalists have a role as active participants in reshaping the field, offering insights for educators, scholars, and practitioners.

Journalists are increasingly integrating AI tools into their work, using them across various stages of news production. AI proves especially helpful in gathering information by suggesting potential answers, locating sources, and identifying trends. Tools such as ChatGPT allow journalists to quickly narrow down reliable information, which they verify through traditional methods like cross-checking with trusted sources. AI assists in generating interview questions and transcribing interviews, often improving accuracy over time through machine learning.

When it comes to writing and presenting news, journalists often use AI to create drafts of straightforward stories, based on press releases or weather announcements, among others, and to simplify or translate complex ideas. Applications like Hemingway Editor refine text by improving clarity and conciseness. AI also helps generate headlines and summaries tailored for online engagement, though journalists generally edit these outputs to ensure quality and alignment with their style. Beyond text, AI supports creating visuals and coding assistance, offering suggestions for graphics or blocks of code to speed up production. However, journalists maintain creative control, ensuring AI-generated content aligns with their editorial vision.

AI is also employed in editing by identifying gaps or biases in stories, helping reporters consider perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked, and checking facts. It streamlines grammar corrections and word count adjustments, although the final phase of editing is always done by humans. In news promotion, AI helps locate related articles for cross-promotion and generates social media captions, though these often require further human refinement to match professional standards.

While AI boosts efficiency and productivity, journalists remain cautious about its limitations. Many stress the importance of verifying AI output, as it can omit key information, hallucinate false facts, or present biased perspectives. The opacity of AI processes, such as the sources it relies on, adds to this scepticism. Journalists also voice concerns about ethical considerations, such as whether AI compromises their integrity when contributing to their work. They believe human oversight is crucial to maintain the core values of journalism, including truthfulness, accuracy, transparency, balance, and integrity. Without this oversight, there is a risk of spreading misinformation or perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

Despite these reservations, journalists recognise AI’s potential to enhance their work when used responsibly. They emphasise that AI should complement, not replace, human decision-making and creativity. Ultimately, journalists prioritise their professional values when deciding how to integrate AI into their workflows.

Wu, S. (2024). Journalists as individual users of artificial intelligence: Examining journalists’ “value-motivated use” of ChatGPT and other AI tools within and without the newsroom. Journalism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241303047