AP's integration of AI has led to increased market exposure and more interesting work for journalists through automation of corporate earnings reports.
Generative AI is being explored by AP for tasks like image identification, translation work, and content summarization, enhancing journalism while requiring human editors for accuracy and context.
Deep dives
AP's Early Integration of AI and Automation
AP's journey with AI and automation began in 2014 with the automation of corporate earnings reports. This expansion automated 300 earnings reports written by humans to 3000, resulting in increased market exposure and more interesting work for journalists.
AP's Current AI Initiatives
AP continues to integrate AI in various ways, such as using natural language generation for templated content like minor league baseball reports. While still in the experimentation phase, they are exploring generative AI in areas like image identification, translation work, search improvement, and AI-generated content summaries.
AI's Impact on Journalism at AP
AP sees AI as an opportunity to enhance journalism, particularly in areas like summarizing information. While generative AI can be unreliable for generating complete stories, it can be useful in aiding journalists with summarization tasks, freeing them to focus on other aspects. Human editors remain essential to ensure accuracy and context in AI-generated content.
AP's AI Risk Analysis and Projects
AP takes a cautious approach in assessing the risk associated with AI. They conduct extensive testing and evaluation to measure reliability before implementing AI solutions in critical areas like emergency reports and police blotter items, where accuracy is paramount. AP's local news initiative aims to guide and assist local newsrooms in developing their own AI projects.
Aimee Rinehart, the Senior Product Manager of AI Strategy for The Associated Press joins Nikita Roy to discuss how AP is using AI and the tools being built as part of AP’s Local News AI Initiative. Aimee shares AP's current approach of learning and experimentation with generative AI through projects around translation, image identification and search.
Before joining AP, Aimee served as the Deputy Director of First Draft's New York Bureau, where she helped journalists and newsrooms navigate the mis- and disinformation during the 2018 and 2020 U.S. election cycles. In 2018, she managed Comprova, a project to monitor and analyze misinformation and disinformation around the 2018 Brazilian elections. Aimee started working online in 1996 and was a digital originator at The New York Times, and returned to print briefly as an editor at the Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussels.
Tune in to hear how one of the largest news organizations is navigating the adoption of AI and automation technologies while also assisting local newsrooms.