AI Tools and the Changing Landscape of Journalism
The emergence of AI assistant apps like OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Anthropic Claude, xAI Grok, and Microsoft Copilot has significantly impacted various professions, including journalism.
Challenges in Covering an International Summit
A reporter faced difficulties while covering the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi due to logistical issues with simultaneous programming and inadequate video personnel, which hampered livestream capabilities. The reporter's tech-enabled plan to use cloud-based voice recognition for transcribing panel discussions was disrupted by:
- Delayed livestreams making it hard to diarize transcripts.
- Frequent changes to the summit's website affecting reference data.
- Live mics interrupting automated transcription.
Adapting with AI Tools
Despite the challenges, AI tools like Claude were used to simplify tasks:
- Developed an Android app to track updates from the Gazette of India.
- Automated personal website updates, reducing time spent from half an hour to one minute.
- Created a browser extension for automating story submission processes.
Concerns and Opportunities
There is a dual feeling of excitement and apprehension regarding AI capabilities. While AI can alleviate routine tasks, the broader implications include:
- Potential displacement of traditional journalism skills.
- Increased productivity and skill enhancement for AI-savvy individuals.
- Cost implications of using advanced AI tools, as tokens for LLM inference remain expensive.
The current high costs of complex AI workflows provide a temporary cushion, but as these costs decrease, professionals will need to adapt swiftly to the advancing automation landscape.
