Journalists and AI: Is the newsroom big enough for both?
European media giant Axel Springer – owner of newspapers Bild and Die Welt in Germany, Politico in the United States, and various other publications – splashily announced in February that it was preparing to lay off staff, go digital only, and reemphasize creation of original and investigative content. Perhaps most significantly, it said it was doing so in anticipation of an information future dominated by tools such as artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.
“Artificial intelligence,” wrote Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner in an internal memo, “has the potential to make independent journalism better than it ever was – or simply replace it.”
Axel Springer is just one of many news outlets – and their consumers – who are reorienting themselves to a media landscape where AI plays an increasingly large role. With the popularity of Silicon Valley company and
