Four Basic Steps to Building an AI Strategy in Your Newsroom

“And what that becomes depends on how we position ourselves,” the expert declared at the recent Media's Next Chapter event.

Four Basic Steps to Building an AI Strategy in Picture Studio 1 — Photo: GI

Now, a large portion of readers are moving away from news websites and apps. User analysis from FT Strategies shows that readers are increasingly using alternative channels and AI-powered experiences to access news content, including services like Spotify.

For media organisations, on the other hand, AI also presents opportunities in areas as diverse as editorial, business or optimisation. But according to a recent survey by FT Strategies and the Google News Initiative, nearly half of 1,000 news organisations do not have a clear AI strategy, compared to just 4% who do.

Implementing AI in your newsroom won't happen on its own. Here are four steps to building an AI strategy:

Seize the opportunity

First, you need to understand what AI is and how it can be most useful in your newsroom. For example, creative AI can generate new content, while predictive AI uses historical data to forecast future outcomes, such as readership and subscription trends. There’s also a lot of potential for automating newsroom processes, which can be simpler to implement and deliver a higher return on investment.

Test and learn

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. You will need to experiment to find the best approach and AI tools for your newsroom. Running experiments is not something journalism is particularly good at, but we need to experiment if we want to create something new.

Set up AI rules

It’s important to establish governance processes and create rules around the use of AI in your newsroom. For example, be clear about what AI should and shouldn’t be used for. You also need to decide which experiments to prioritize, identify the link between AI and your overall strategy, and ensure resources are allocated to the right areas, people, and stakeholders.

Building resources

Finally, develop your people, processes, technology and data. When you create a structure, empower and upskill people, this will create more trust in what you are doing.

Remember that AI can help in different areas. For example, it can help generate headlines, automate SEO, recommend or personalize content to increase reader engagement, and record events.

Managing AI also means considering how to approach ethical questions such as bias and stereotyping, fair competition, data privacy and security, transparency, and intellectual property. If your AI strategy is fit for purpose, you must be clear about your stance on all of these areas for both your employees and your audience.

“AI can’t create anything new, it can only replicate what already exists,” McLeod concluded. She added that our job as journalists is to create new stories. So the next time you worry about being replaced by a robot, it’s important to remember that AI can’t think for itself and needs you to guide it.

Hoang Hai (according to FT, Journalism)

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