Google Could Be Developing a Journalism AI Tool

Google wants to write news articles without actually writing them itself.

The popular search giant is reportedly testing an AI tool that can generate news articles and other publications in the blink of an eye, which could affect the livelihood of many a journalist.

Google has yet to reveal any more information about this new AI tool.

Google News Writing AI Tool Details

Google seems willing to help writers be more productive and do more at work. According to the New York Times, it is testing a new AI tool it codenamed "Genesis," demonstrating its worth to the publication's executives and those of The Washington Post and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal.

Based on the reports from people who witnessed Google's demonstration, Genesis can create a news article from the data given to it, whether it's current events or other types of information. If Google is to be believed, it wants to make journalists' lives easier; they could use it to automate some tasks and free them up to do other things.

While Google's intentions may sound noble, some people, like City University of New York journalist professor Jeff Davis, found the AI tool's capabilities and its demonstration to be unsettling. According to Davis, the AI tool and its use seem to disregard the work that goes into writing accurate, digestible articles and that journalists should only use Google's AI tool if it can deliver factual information reliably.

Engadget mentioned in its article that it is doubtful if Genesis' capability to write news stories can or if it could easily lead to the distribution of misinformation since Google has yet to release it. You may recall that Google's generative AI tool, Bard, was caught misinforming people as soon as it debuted on Twitter, per The Verge.

Will Genesis Replace Journalists?

However, there is also the case that the AI tool could replace journalists instead of helping them do their jobs. As a result, publications and other media companies would have more reasons to lay off writers and journalists to increase profitability and efficiency.

This concern is a well-founded one, given past events. You may recall that a freelancing content writer lost all ten of his clients because ChatGPT does his job faster than he can for a low price.

Writers and journalists are also predicted to be replaced by AI in the future if governments worldwide wouldn't step up to regulate them. Economist Paul Krugman believes that ChatGPT and other AI tools could do tasks like reporting and writing "more efficiently than people, per his statement in a New York Times op-ed.

Fortunately, AI's tendency to spread misinformation, as previously discussed, means that AI isn't ready to replace writers and journalists just yet. Mashable added that no matter how sophisticated Google makes Genesis, it couldn't interview sources, experience events, or do any investigative reporting itself.

Another thing to consider is that Ai can't give an opinion if something is good or bad because it can't experience anything. As a result, writers making editorials and reviewers of various objects wouldn't need to worry about AI replacing them anytime soon.