The New York Times adopts AI tools in the editorial room
The New York Times would have approved artificial intelligence tools that press room staff can use to modify the copy, summarize information, coding and writing. The publication announced in an internal email that the product and the editor will receive training in AI, according to Traffic lightsAnd introduced a new internal AI tool called Echo to summarize articles, briefings and other activities of the company.
The staff would have sent new editorial directives detailing the authorized uses for Echo and other AI tools, which encourage employees of the editorial room to use them to suggest changes and revisions for their work, and generate summaries , a promotional copy for social media and referencing titles.
Other examples mentioned in a compulsory training video shared with staff include the use of AI to develop quiz, quotes and FAQ cards, or suggest what questions that journalists should ask a CEO of a Start-up during an interview. However, there are restrictions – the company has declared to the drafting that AI should not be used to draft or considerably modify an article, bypassing payroll walls, seize material protected by copyright or publish Images or videos generated by AI without explicit labeling.
It is not clear how much copy Time will allow in published articles. The point of sale has promised that “Times Journalism will always be reported, written and published by our expert journalists ”, in A memo he published last yearAnd he reaffirmed this commitment to human participation a few months later.
“The generative AI can sometimes help with certain parts of our process, but the work must always be managed by and responsible for journalists,” reads Time‘ Generative IA principlesAdopted in May 2024. “We are still responsible for what we report, but the report is created. Any use of the generative AI in the editorial room must start with the factual information verified by our journalists and, like all that we produce, must be examined by the publishers. »»
In addition to Echo, other AI tools are apparently green for use by Time Include GitHub Copilot as a programming assistant, Google Vertex AI for product development, notebooklm, the NOWChatexplorer, Openai’s non -Light API and some of Amazon’s IA products.
These AI tools and the training lines take place as Time remains involved in a Legal battle with Openai and Microsoftalleging that Chatgpt was formed on Times Contents without authorization. Many other publications also introduced AI into their editorial rooms at different scales, ranging from spelling and grammar tools to the generation of whole articles.
