Newsroom Robots

The future of news is personalized—not just because it drives engagement, but because it helps quality journalism find its audience. While many are focused on AI for content creation, the real revolution is happening in distribution. And news has always been about personalization—from regional editions to local channels. Now, we finally have the tech to do it at scale. This week on Newsroom Robots, Ritvvij Parrikh, Senior Director of Product at Times Internet, shared exactly how this future is becoming reality at one of the world's largest English language newspapers, The Times Of India. Here's why this matters: 📈 85% increase in web CTR 📱 30% boost in app engagement 📰 50% of personalized views from archived stories (!) But it's HOW they did it that's revolutionary: 1️⃣ Treating revenue streams like a mutual fund portfolio - balancing different content types uniquely for each reader 2️⃣ Building real-time data pipelines because news can't wait for day-old analytics 3️⃣ Developing AI systems that understands the rhythm of news - unlike personalization on Netflix or Amazon, news needs systems that can adapt to breaking stories and evolving narratives As someone who's worked on news personalization, I know just how complex this challenge is. The Times of India is showing it's possible to balance algorithmic recommendations with editorial judgment and drive real value for audiences. Listen to the full episode of Newsroom Robots to discover how they're doing it. (Link in comments)

AI is giving us the tools to shape the future of news like never before. I’ll be keynoting at Media Party this Saturday at Columbia University in New York, where I’ll share the key shifts that are set to redefine our industry. Come join the conversation on the future of news and how you can lead the way. But that’s not all—I’m also hosting a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn how to build AI prototypes with no code. No technical skills needed, just your imagination! Plus, for the first time, I’m joining the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) clinics, where you can book time with me one-on-one to discuss how AI can work in your newsroom. And did I mention? Media Party is free to attend! Don’t miss out—join me this Saturday! (Link to register in comments)

AI guru Nikita Roy is in demand! This ICFJ Knight Fellow just did four journalism conferences back-to-back and will give a keynote at Media Party this week! Here are some things she learned. #AI International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Knight Foundation

After a week of speaking at four back-to-back conferences, including the Online News Association conference, I’m still processing all the conversations I had with journalists about AI. Meeting so many Newsroom Robots fans has been such a highlight. But what really stuck with me from this conference were the conversations I had that revealed just how wide the gaps in AI adoption are within newsrooms. One stat from my generative AI training really hit home: more than 20% of attendees had never used a tool like ChatGPT. That’s a problem. While I usually work with newsroom executives and AI leaders, ONA gave me the chance to hear directly from journalists on the ground about how AI is being adopted. And what I heard was both revealing and sobering. Here are my thoughts on what we as an industry need to focus on: 1️⃣ AI Literacy Must Be a Priority AI literacy isn’t just for tech reporters or product teams—it must be a priority for everyone in the newsroom. First, it’s essential for holding companies, governments, and lawmakers accountable. AI affects every beat, and without understanding it, we can’t effectively report on its impact. Our audience relies on us to get this right—without understanding the technology, we’re not doing our job. Second, I’ve seen how AI integration transforms workflows. Prioritizing AI training leads to significant improvements in efficiency and reporting quality. AI literacy isn’t optional—it’s crucial for both accountability and advancing journalism. 2️⃣ AI Ethics Policies Are Critically Lacking Many people I spoke to at ONA expressed uncertainty about AI’s ethical implications, primarily because their newsrooms lack clear guidance. This is a dangerous blind spot. AI is already being used by people in your newsroom, and without firm ethics policies, we’re leaving ourselves vulnerable to missteps. Newsrooms must set transparent guidelines on how AI should be used in reporting to maintain editorial integrity and public trust. 3️⃣ Collaboration Between AI Teams and Journalists Is Essential One of the recurring issues I heard is the disconnect between AI teams and the journalists who need to use these tools. AI teams are often siloed, creating solutions without input from the people who will ultimately rely on them. This is a missed opportunity. I’ve seen success in newsrooms where AI teams and journalists collaborate closely—when journalists are involved from the start, AI tools can be designed to meet their specific needs, leading to more effective implementation and greater impact. As I prepare to keynote at Media Party this week, one thing is clear: We need to step up our approach to AI adoption now. It’s been nearly 2 years since ChatGPT, and newsrooms can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines. Journalists must get hands-on with AI, robust ethical frameworks need to be established, and AI teams must collaborate closely with editorial staff. The future of journalism depends on how quickly we close these gaps.

What happens when you build an AI hub inside a newsroom? For Aftonbladet, Scandinavia's largest newsroom, it meant creating tools that streamline editorial work and transform reader engagement. From AI-generated article summaries to an EU election chatbot that handled over 150,000 questions, this dedicated team of editors, developers, and designers has been experimenting with tools that enhance how news is produced and consumed Martin Schori the Deputy Managing Editor and Associate Publisher at Aftonbladet & the Program Lead for the AI Hub joined me on the latest episode of Newsroom Robots to share the Hub's biggest wins, challenges, and key lessons from their experiments with AI. Here's what we discussed: - The creation of Aftonbladet’s AI hub and its impact on editorial workflows - How AI-generated article summaries boosted reader engagement - Using AI to engage readers with an EU election chatbot - Analyzing coverage using AI to track gender and diversity representation Curious to learn more about Aftonbladet's AI experiments? 🎧 Listen to the full conversation available on your favourite podcast platform and sign up for our newsletter (link in comments).

AI's role in shaping our information landscape is a complex and evolving issue. As the technology advances, we're seeing its impact on how information spreads in various contexts, from war zones to election campaigns. At TechBBQ in Copenhagen today, I'm moderating a panel exploring these issues. Zakhar Protsiuk from The Kyiv Independent will discuss the impact of AI-powered disinformation in the Ukraine war, offering insights into its global implications. Hind Ziane from Génération politique will examine how AI-driven narratives are influencing electoral processes worldwide. This crucial discussion isn't just about technology – it's about the future of truth, democracy, and societal resilience. As AI systems become more sophisticated, we must engage in nuanced dialogue to navigate this new reality and collectively explore how we can harness AI's potential while safeguarding the integrity of our information ecosystem.

Where is journalism headed in the age of AI? I’m excited to join today's roundtable discussion on the future of news, hosted by the Poynter Institute, as part of the #OnPoyntReport 2024 launch. I’ll be discussing AI’s impact on the future of journalism, alongside an incredible panel of experts. Join the livestream at 11 AM EST for this important conversation—link in comments. #Journalism2024 #MediaInnovation

AI isn't just a tech story - it's reshaping every newsroom beat! 🚀🗞️ Key insights from AP's Garance Burke on AI in journalism from the latest Newsroom Robots episode: 1. 🎭💼🗳️ "AI is now part of every beat that journalists cover": Whether you write about entertainment, economy, or politics, "AI stories are now part of everyone's daily lives." 2. 🚨 Beware the AGI hype: "It's really important to be wary of claims that (…) sometimes soon we're gonna get to Artificial General Intelligence when essentially, the robots are better at doing human tasks than we ourselves are." Journalists must provide balanced views on AI tech. 3. 🔍 Develop journalism-centric AI products, aligned with your principles: "There's many different ways that we can think about implementing these tools to really help augment some of the work that we do." But always consider how models were built, ethics and accuracy. Crucial reminder: AI should augment, not replace, journalistic work. Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/eqTzFAac #AIJournalism #MediaInnovation #JournalismEthics

If you want to know how media companies think about AI, you can't miss Newsroom Robots, the podcast by Nikita Roy. And I was invited! We discussed several projects underway: Using AI to generate SEO titles and summaries, developing a fact-checking tool that extracts claims from articles and checks them against authoritative sources, and creating a system to analyze gender representation in our reporting. Here are some of my takes: On balancing innovation and trust: »We are really in the trust business... we want to offer our readers factual information, and we really want to make sure that we do not disappoint our readers and that we do not lose trust.« On responsible AI development: »We are getting the foundations right, then really looking into what are we offering our readers? What do they really need from us? What do they want from us? And then maybe AI is one part of the answer, but maybe not.« On AI experimentation: »We have to be wildly experimenting on this technology and on the stuff. Then we have to carefully look like what serves our mission, what are our users and readers expecting of us and what is actually useful?« On using AI to address biases: »There's so much talk about, oh, well, this AI LLM they are biased and now it's actually an LLM that helping us discover our biases. I think it's quite beautiful.« On collaboration in the news industry: »I think collaborating on projects, sharing knowledge, it's very important.« I can highly recommend the podcast, not just the latest episode. Here you go: https://lnkd.in/eMTqhB9s

Hello from Sarajevo! I'm honored to deliver a keynote at the Poynter Institute's Global Fact Summit tomorrow, discussing AI's role in fact-checking and how emerging technologies are reshaping the information landscape. As AI advances, it's crucial for fact-checkers to stay ahead. I'll share insights on harnessing AI's potential and addressing its challenges in our pursuit of truth and accuracy. If you're here, I'd love to say hi!