Reuters, the 166-year-old news organization, leverages artificial intelligence (AI) in what they are calling the world’s first ‘cybernetic newsroom’.
Whether using AI to sift through and pinpoint breaking news in the vast realm of social media or algorithms to scour financial data, technology is being used to provide journalists with data and the fundamentals for news.
At Reuters the robot operates for the most part in the role of researcher, feeding material to real life correspondents. It is an editorial assistant with specialist knowledge, reliability and no inclination to complain at being tasked with drudge work.
Journalists are the storytellers, responsible for composing the articles and engaging readers from the data and details harvested by machine. Context, localization and fine-tuning to markets is critical and a nuance that perhaps machines haven’t mastered.
There are cases where automated news – headlines and short stories – are deployed, such as economic data.