Recently, the Irish Times made headlines by printing a totally bogus article created by AI in their Opinion section. The piece, titled ‘Irish Women’s Obsession With Fake Tan is Problematic’, sparked nationwide debate on the trustworthiness of news sources as AI becomes more common in journalism. It’s enough to make you question if you can believe anything you read online anymore.
This groundbreaking article, tackling the topics of cultural appropriation and tanning ethics, was supposedly the second most-read piece in its publication’s timeline. And it goes to show how crucial oversight and pre-release protocols are. As the editor at The Irish Times pointed out in a response, that lesson was made crystal clear by this incident. It’s no secret that AI-generated content is making some folks in the journalism world cringe. It can craft phony news reports and even full websites, which could lead to a serious lack of public trust in news sources. An already scary prospect, indeed.
But, AI isn’t necessarily a bad thing for journalism. In reality, it could actually help up the accuracy and speed of news stories. By using algorithms to comb through heaps of data, AI can detect trends that journalists would’ve totally missed. It’s also great at double-checking facts and providing anyone with an explanation to complex problems.
The blunder from The Irish Times is a lesson for all of us— AI can do wonders, but it cannot replace the savvy and experience of journalists. AI-generated articles should be cross-checked through reliable sources to make sure that everything written is honest, impartial, and clear. Journalists should never skimp on their job of verifying the truthfulness of stories.
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly widespread in journalism, news organizations must remain watchful and modify their procedures to provide trustworthy and dependable information. News companies may continue to provide relevant and informative material to their readers by embracing AI and harnessing its promise in a responsible and ethical manner.
