As a forty-five-year-old journalist, I recall a time when I didn’t read the news. My knowledge of current events was limited, and I thought I was well-informed based on reading novels and magazines like Wired and Spin. The 9/11 attacks marked a turning point, after which I began to subscribe to The New York Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Review of Books. My engagement with news deepened, but I realized that my previous understanding was shallow.
Today, I’m constantly surrounded by news, and it’s become a default activity to check current events. However, this feels excessive, and I must actively push the news away to be present in my life. It’s also concerning that the news is increasingly negative, which doesn’t reflect reality. Studies have shown that news reporting has grown more negative over decades, affecting our perception of the world.
The journalism profession is becoming stranger, with fewer than fifty thousand journalists employed in 2023, a number less than those who deliver for DoorDash in New York City. Journalists uncover disturbing truths, but this contributes to the negativity. Readers click on alarming headlines, creating an incentive for news organizations to sensationalize. This leads to decreasing trust in journalists.
Artificial intelligence is disrupting the news industry on both demand and supply sides. AI summarizes news, and Google decides when to show AI overviews. AI voices read computer-generated scripts on some news products. While AI might replace simple human-generated summaries, human writers with unique perspectives will become more valuable.
The future of news is uncertain. AI could make human journalists more valuable, especially in investigations and research. However, the money problem remains. Will readers value news organizations and the people behind them? It’s possible that individual voices will survive while organizations die, leaving behind AI-summarized wire reports and Substacks.
News travels through social media, which is being affected by AI. AI-generated posts will transform text-centric platforms, and video-based platforms will follow as generative video improves. The implications are uncertain, but AI could make information more accessible and personalized.
AI can separate form from content, allowing for reformulation and re-presentation of information. This could enable readers to access news in various formats and flavors. However, errors can occur during this process.
To glimpse the future of news, using AI tools can be helpful. AI can summarize news, answer questions, and provide context. It can also facilitate a conversation-like experience, allowing users to ask follow-up questions. AI systems are biased toward the past, making it easier to learn about a topic’s history and related ideas.
In conclusion, AI can improve the news by providing a helpful combination of human journalism and AI capabilities. However, it’s crucial to be aware of the potential pitfalls and ensure that AI doesn’t destroy the news industry in the process.
