Experts and journalist unions have cautiously welcomed the ABC’s plans to use artificial intelligence responsibly, but warn that misuse could undermine trust in the public broadcaster.
The ABC is preparing to introduce AI to its staff, including running a trial to use AI in digital news writing, in a bid to embrace technology that many Australians distrust.
Last month, ABC executives told staff the station had updated its AI guidelines, signed a deal with Anthropic, which runs Claude, and begun piloting a tool to turn local radio bulletins into online articles.
An ABC spokesperson said the AI tools offered “significant benefits” in supporting the ABC’s journalism, including freeing up time for independent reporting and allowing staff to be more efficient in their day-to-day work.
“Our trusted news is produced by ABC journalists, delivering unique and original journalism that no AI can match,” a spokesperson said.
There is no question whether ABC staff will use AI: executives
In an all-staff email sent on June 25, managing director Hugh Marks and chief people officer Deena Amorelli outlined ABC’s new approach to AI.
“The question facing all public broadcasters is not whether to use AI, but how to shape its use on their terms and in line with their values,” Marks and Amorelli wrote.
The email revealed that ABC has selected Anthropic’s Claude AI as its standard AI tool across the company, in addition to existing Microsoft tools and an internal chatbot.
The implementation will begin with a pilot in July involving 100 “AI Champions” from across the organization, and will be expanded in stages thereafter.
ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks recently sent an email to all staff about the changes in the ABC’s approach to AI. (ABC News: John Gunn)
An ABC spokesperson said the broadcaster’s current use of AI includes third-party tools for production tasks such as transcription, as well as the development of its own in-house AI, ABC Assist, for researching and producing stories.
The ABC also pointed to a recent study that used AI to uncover patterns of negligence in Indigenous deaths in custody as an example of how AI can benefit public interest journalism.
ABC is also recruiting for an AI Deployment Specialist and an Enterprise AI Operations and Assurance Lead, roles that will help “safely and effectively deploy enterprise AI tools.”
Specific tasks listed for the role include performing training and coaching, tracking AI adoption metrics, and building AI agents and integrations.
AI turns radio into a digital copy
One of the pilot programs being touted by ABC management is using ABC Assist to convert local radio bulletins into digital articles.
The process utilizes the same local journalists who produce and present local radio news, repurposing the copy into online news articles, and with a few checks along the way.
This includes a review by the local editorial lead and associate editor for a final check before publication.
The ABC said this showed that AI could deliver journalism to a wider audience “without significantly increasing the workload of news teams.”
He said the ABC’s principles ensure that AI is not used to create “end-to-end journalism” or publish anything without human oversight.
One ABC staff member who participated in the trial, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the AI made only minor changes to the radio copy and suggested alterations.
Officials said the changes included converting written numbers to digits and condensing phrases, and so far did not include any updates that would create factual errors in the copy.
Concerns about the impact of AI on staff
The new AI plans were announced after the ABC negotiations, where rules and protections around the use of the technology were a major issue.
Kathy Derrick, director of media at the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA), said AI tools, when used well, will allow journalists to focus on “the human connections with sources, the critical analysis, and the fact-checking that produces quality journalism.”
But she said members of the ABC have expressed concerns that AI could undermine job security and audience trust.
“ABC management must work closely with our members to ensure guardrails around the use of AI strengthen and do not undermine journalism,” Derrick said.
He said Stuff had won promises in recent negotiations, including a consultation on the use of AI and guidelines to uphold journalistic ethics, but management had refused to commit to a clause that said AI would not replace human workers.
Australians use AI but don’t trust it
While trust in mainstream media has plummeted, the ABC remains Australia’s most trusted news source, according to a poll of media regulators and others.
Meanwhile, many Australians are distrustful of AI, and polls show they are wary of its use in journalism.
Michael Davis, a researcher at the Center for Media Transition at the University of Technology Sydney, said the ABC had been more cautious than other Australian media companies in its use of generative AI for its audience, particularly in news.
Nine, Seven and News Corp have all rolled out AI tools over the past three years to help create content used online.
Dr Davis said overseas public broadcasters were also a major venue for AI experimentation and failure to take advantage of the technology posed risks to the ABC and its obligation to serve Australians.
“There would also be some benefit for public broadcasters like the ABC,” he said.
Changes to disclosures
ABC is also changing the way it discloses its use of technology.
The ABC’s original AI principles stated that it would inform viewers about how it was using AI technology.
In the current version, the ABC says the use of AI will be disclosed to viewers if it “could materially impact the understanding” of the content.
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An ABC spokesperson said AI tools can be used in a variety of ways that don’t directly impact the final content, and the disclosure requirements reflect that.
The spokesperson said that while AI-generated images used in news content must be made public, the use of AI to investigate interview questions does not need to be made public as it does not directly influence the content presented to viewers.
Dr Davis said that while the changes may seem opaque on the surface, they would actually make the policy more practical and workable.
He said the ABC’s detailed editorial guidelines already set out clear distinctions about when the use of AI should be made public.
He said the updated principles do not avoid liability and appear to be broader and more operational than previous versions.
But NSW professor Deborah Lupton, who studies digital societies and automated decision-making, said she was strongly opposed to generative AI and believed the ABC risked “putting its position at risk” by adopting the technology.
Professor Lupton said study participants were concerned about the impact of AI on jobs, education, privacy, the environment and trust in information.
ABC is holding a staff town hall on July 28 about the changes.
