To explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the real world, Sky News created and tested the first-ever AI news reporter to test whether generative AI (GenAI) could replace the role of journalist.
AI Reporter was created in partnership with Norwegian YouTuber and programmer Kris Fagerlie using ChatGPT and other publicly available AI software.
With the latest AI sophistication, Sky News found that reporters were able to pitch topical, accurate and unbiased story ideas within 20 minutes of running the software. But the experiment found that the AI reporter made a serious mistake, fabricated expert evidence about the article (known in AI science as “hallucination”), and required human intervention to uphold ethical and editorial standards. It turned out that
When ChatGPT responds to text prompts, Fagerlie and Sky News created two “agents” to mimic a reporter and an editor for their experiments, allowing them to prompt them throughout the process.
The resulting AI reporters were tasked with pitching eight different story ideas, then researching one, identifying an expert spokesperson, and even getting AI-generated images. urged. The result was an AI-generated 300-word news story of her and an accompanying 90-second TV report of her.
Sky News science and technology editor Tom Clark said:: “Generative AI is undoubtedly disrupting the world, and experts are grappling with its sophistication and the resulting threats. We tested whether it could be replaced, and the AI that generates language and video has proven to be so powerful that it can now comfortably replace some of the tasks we do. But with the imagination and rigor of real-world journalists, I think it’s fair to conclude that my job is safe for now.”
Over the past six months, there has been extensive public debate among experts about the possibilities and limitations of AI software. The Sky News experiment provides insight into the real-world capabilities and opportunities of AI journalism, along with the risks of this powerful technology.
Note to editors
Learn more about Sky News’ AI reporter and experiment results at https://news.sky.com/story/can-ai-do-my-job-we-made-our-own-reporter-to. -Discovery-12915336
