I was sitting next to a banking expert at a recent lunch event. A veteran of more than
three decades in the industry, he is a sought-after consultant. He could answer any
question about his sector, guide any company through a tough decision after picking
their brains about a problem.
He only had one question for me. Really, it was closer to a statement.
Looking at my recorder, he said: “I guess you just put that recording in AI and let it write
the story now?”
I responded with a dose of sarcasm, as I often do.
“That’s right,” I said. “I guess it’s no different than when you visit a client. You just tell
them to put all their questions into ChatGPT and there’s no need to tap into your
experience since AI can provide better insights?”
***
To be clear, AI does help journalists. Just as the internet and Google have for years,
helping with research. Just as Otter.AI does, when it transcribes an hour-long
presentation into something that’s about 90% accurate, on a good day.
And, of course, I have experimented with AI and asked it to write a story. Too often, the
result has been stories that were sterile in some places, inaccurate in others.
Here’s where AI can help.
Editing: Like so many news sites, we have a small staff of writers and editors,
producing approximately 20 pieces of content a day. Asking AI to search for typos and
dropped words is an invaluable tool. (Though please don’t think “editors” only look for
typos.)
Headlines: If you’re stuck on a headline, AI will quickly give you a dozen options. Most
are cliche or attempts at clever puns, as many headlines are. Few fit the context of the
moment — though parts of some often will spark a better idea. To me, it’s no different
than asking the person next to you (back when we had newsrooms) to take a shot at a
headline.
***
Transparency is important in our profession. A lot of people have a lot of ideas about
how journalism is produced.
We’re often accused of having an agenda or picking sides. That we get our talking
points from advertisers or elected officials. That anyone who has ever written a
sentence can do what we do.
Writing is writing, right?
That’s why they some folks might assume we just put a transcript into AI and come up
with a nuanced piece that includes all the proper context — and includes all of the
follow-up questions and research required.
That’s the reporting side of it and that’s the foundation on which BINJE was built. It’s the
ability to hear an hour-long presentation and understand the 30 most important
seconds. And, more importantly, the most important part for your audience.
That’s the key to journalism.
And when it comes to that, AI is just as helpful as a random guy sitting next to you at a
banking conference.
