Microsoft has announced new collaborations aimed at helping news organizations adopt artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques. The goal is to make news gathering more efficient and sustainable while upholding ethical standards. The collaborations include The GroundTruth Project, Semafor, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, the Online News Association (ONA), and the AI startup Nota. GroundTruth will add an AI track for its local reporters, Semafor will use Microsoft tools to help journalists find diverse sources, and CUNY will offer a tuition-free AI training program for working journalists. ONA will host events and training sessions to scale AI best practices, and Nota plans to release a new tool to optimize content. All partners will share their findings across the media industry. Microsoft aims to demonstrate AI’s potential while mitigating risks and sustaining quality journalism. The news industry has already faced disruption from online media consumption and the dominance of Google and Facebook in ad revenue. AI poses a new challenge, with potential benefits but also downsides in terms of quality, diversity, jobs, and trust. It is a technology that must be managed carefully and consciously. Sam Shedden, an experienced journalist and editor, is the managing editor at Readwrite.com.
