Louise Story, former Chief Technology & Product Officer at The Wall Street Journal, discusses the opportunities AI presents for reporting, content creation, user experience, and personalization in newsrooms. She explores the challenges of integrating AI into news organizations, the importance of data infrastructure, and the potential impact of AI on journalism. Louise also discusses the pros and cons of building vs buying AI tech for newsrooms and shares her personal experience with AI-generated sketches and image generation tools for her book cover.
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Quick takeaways
Newsrooms need to create a culture of experimentation to embrace AI innovation and adapt to new technologies effectively.
Implementing AI successfully in news organizations requires digital transformation, breaking down silos, and staying informed about AI's tech stack and potential applications.
Deep dives
The Importance of AI in Journalism
Louise Story, former Chief Product and Technology Officer and Chief News Strategist at the Wall Street Journal, discusses the significance of AI in journalism. She highlights the opportunities AI presents for reporting, user experience, and personalization. Story emphasizes the need for newsrooms to adapt to new reader interests and technology tools and create a culture of experimentation. She stresses the importance of digital transformation, data organization, and understanding AI's tech stack for news organizations interested in implementing AI successfully.
Building a Culture of Experimentation
Story explains how newsrooms need to shift their culture to embrace experimentation. Traditionally, newsrooms have focused on getting things right and avoiding mistakes, which inhibits experimentation. Story suggests changing this mindset by encouraging innovation, creating platforms for idea submission, and holding regular meetings for cross-disciplinary collaboration. By bringing together people with diverse skill sets and fostering a culture of experimentation, news organizations can adapt to new technologies and deploy AI more effectively.
Strategic Considerations for AI Implementation
Story provides strategic guidance for newsrooms looking to implement AI. She advises news organizations to focus on digital transformation, breaking down silos, and becoming highly focused on audience needs. She highlights the importance of data collection and storage, focusing on both user data and content data. Additionally, Story stresses the need for news companies to stay informed and educated about AI, understanding its tech stack and potential applications. She emphasizes the importance of everyone in the organization learning about AI, not just technologists.
The Future of Journalism with AI
Story discusses the evolving role of journalists in the era of AI. While some routine tasks may be automated, she envisions journalists spending more time on core journalistic activities such as uncovering new information, lifting up unheard voices, and bearing witness. She suggests that AI tools can aid in data analysis, public record exploration, and video/image understanding, expanding journalists' capabilities. Story also emphasizes the importance of maintaining the core elements of journalism while leveraging AI to enhance audience engagement and trust.
How does a newsroom leader spearhead AI innovation when AI still remains a buzzword to much of their staff?
Louise Story joins Nikita Roy to highlight the opportunities AI presents for reporting, content creation, user experience, and personalization. Story also discusses the role of journalists in the AI era and the potential impact of generative AI on the business model of the news industry.
Louise is the former Chief Technology & Product Officer and Chief News Strategist at The Wall Street Journal. She’s also been the Executive Producer & Senior Editor of Live Broadcast at The New York Times and taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Yale School of Management.
With her unique blend of journalism and technology expertise, Louise has pioneered AI innovation in one of the world’s most prestigious newsrooms. She’s the industry’s first and only individual to have worked as a senior masthead news coverage leader and a chief technology officer, and the first woman to serve as CTO at a major U.S. news organization. As a veteran journalist who drove major AI implementations at The Wall Street Journal, Louise broke down seemingly abstract concepts into an actionable vision for news companies.