All newsrooms must adopt ethics policies that guide their use of generative artificial intelligence. why? Because the only way to establish ethical standards in an unlicensed profession is to do it store by store.
Until we create these standards, even if we're early in the game, we'll be stifling innovation.
Here is a starter kit created by Poynter's Alex Mahadevan, Tony Elkins, and myself. It is a statement of journalistic values that roots his AI experiments in principles of accuracy, transparency, and audience trust, followed by a set of concrete guidelines.
Think of it like a meal prep kit. Most of the work is done, but you need to roll up your sleeves and put in a little effort. The policy includes blank spaces to which news leaders must add details, with “yes” or “no” responses to very specific activities, such as the use of AI-generated illustrations. ” you need to say.
To effectively use this AI ethics policy, newsrooms should establish an AI committee and appoint an editor or senior journalist to lead the ongoing effort. This step is critical because technology evolves, tools proliferate, and policies need to be revised regularly to keep up.
This leader, with support from this committee, could also be responsible for newsroom-wide communication and inspiration around AI experiments. Here are some highlights of this ethics policy template.
- Form an AI committee and appoint a leader.
- Make sure your committee includes people from all sectors, including the business side.
- The committee must categorize decisions into three categories: audience use, business use, and back-end reporting support.
- For viewers: Although we don't recommend using it for viewers, it carries the highest risk of reputational damage. Ideally, the AI tools used to create the text are trained on the newsroom's content and knowledge base. For example, if you use AI to create a newsletter, use a custom GPT limited to your own editorial and social media content. Transparency and human oversight are key requirements.
- Business use: Different standards may evolve for non-editorial purposes. But when it comes to content creation, whether it's published as news or not, the values of accuracy and transparency influence audience trust.
- Back-end reporting support: Reduces tedium and encourages experimentation that improves the quality of journalism.
- Partnerships with technology companies and nonprofits are great opportunities to gain funding, explore tools, and expand your capabilities. Such partnerships require editorial transparency so that the relationship is disclosed when the partners are the subject of news coverage.
The highest ethical standards in journalism have always encouraged us to move forward, publish information, and find the best way to serve the public. It’s time for all news organizations to apply that approach to artificial intelligence.