Navigating AI in Journalism

This chapter explores the speaker's journey from a passion for reading and writing to a career in journalism, emphasizing the evolution of AI in the field. It discusses the early developments in AI, its applications in journalism, and the challenges the industry faces due to the rise of generative AI and major tech companies. The conversation delves into the complex relationship between media and technology, highlighting the need for new compensation models for content in an era dominated by free information.

Play episode from 01:47

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Episode notes

In this episode of A Journalist’s Guide to AI we have Esther Paniagua an award winning independent journalist and author specialised in science, technology and cybersecurity.

Esther has received numerous accolades for her work, including multiple journalism awards.

She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Women Leaders in Spain and named one of Forbes’ Top 100 Most Creative People in Business. She also teaches “AI Journalism” at various universities.

Esther shares her journey from early tech adoption to becoming an expert in AI and journalism, discussing how AI is rapidly transforming the media landscape. They delve into the challenges faced by small newsrooms in adopting AI, the growing dominance of synthetic and AI-generated content (with a stark prediction that 90% of online content could be AI-generated by 2026), and the ongoing shifts in business models as platforms like Google and generative AI tools impact media revenue.

Esther emphasizes the importance of regulation, sustainable funding, and responsible technology development to preserve quality journalism in the face of these changes. She also highlights environmental concerns related to data centers and AI’s carbon footprint, advocating for informed consumer choices and public protest as forms of accountability. Towards the end of the episode, Yumi and Esther discuss practical tips for choosing more privacy-conscious and eco-friendly digital tools.

Esther also noted that the actual estimation of how much money Google owes to US publishers annually for use of their content on its platform is US$10–12 billion. Researchers also estimate (using a conservative assumption) that Facebook owes US$1.9 billion to publishers annually.

Source: IPD Columbia

00:00 - Funding Challenges for Small Newsrooms & Rise of AI Content

00:53 - Introducing Esther Paniagua

01:48 - Esther’s Journey into Journalism & Technology

04:10 - Specializing in Science and Technology Journalism

05:19 - Reporting on AI: Early Days and IBM Watson

07:07 - First AI Applications in Journalism

08:22 - Did We See AI’s Influence on Journalism Coming?

09:56 - How Google Changed the Media Landscape

12:01 - How Search and AI Are Shaping News Consumption

13:25 - AI Platforms Paying for News Content: Worth It?

14:57 - Why Pay for News Anymore? Is It Inevitable?