A Note to Readers about AI
By Chloe Lee Rowlands
Updated March 26, 2024
At Bay City News, we believe in a culture of experimentation and adaptation and aim to serve our readers and partners with journalism rooted in the principles of accuracy, transparency and audience trust. This means that we don’t shy away from the changing world around us; we embrace it, learn from it and adapt to it.
We intend to approach AI technology in the same way.
AI technology is already embedded in a multitude of tools we use every day from its use in map applications on our phones, to predictive text when writing emails and the surfacing of links when looking for music or information about people and places. Many of these tools are so naturalized into our daily routines that it is easy to forget that they use AI. Instead, when we hear the term “Artificial Intelligence” our minds tend to leap to the latest and least known examples of this technology. Gaining a better understanding of the full spectrum and potential of AI applications will help demystify this technology, and hopefully give us a better grasp on how to use it and what to avoid.
Much like the other AI tools that have become a part of our daily lives, it is expected that the newer generative AI tools that are the focus of so much attention right now will quickly become embedded in our daily lives as well. While we believe there are certainly elements of AI about which caution should be used, we also believe that avoiding engaging with AI altogether is not realistic. Instead, we at Bay City News want to explore these technologies with the same inquisitive perspective with which we approach everything else. Doing so will allow us to discover the real potential, pitfalls and possibilities that come with these tools and to share those discoveries with our readers.
Because of their expertise in critical thinking, communication, investigation and holding truth to power, journalists are in a natural position to explore these ideas and tools with responsibility and ethics in mind.
Storytelling has always been and will always be a human endeavor. Impactful journalism happens as a result of thorough research and understanding paired with human perspectives. Humans are at the core of that work.
Nevertheless, there are a multitude of ways that journalists can experiment with AI at various stages of their process, such as:
- image generation (responsibly using models trained on images that are fair use, not stolen)
- pulling key trends from data to unearth stories
- offering options for A/B testing of headlines
- sorting through source lists to determine who to reach out to for certain stories
- prompting models sort through government documents to highlight specific topics of interest (as is being done by Agenda Watch).
But the real value add of journalists using these tools is that they can also interrogate the technology and the results with the same critical thinking they have always applied to their work and investigations and provide readers with an honest analysis of the tools and their benefits and limitations.
What we want to do at Local News Matters is have reporters engage with these technologies in a sandbox of content that gives them a chance to play, test and explore without risking the integrity of our work at large. Then, alongside the results of that work, we publish honest reviews of the technology and experience from these reporters. Here’s an example of how we did that with Joe Dworetzky’s cartooning.
That will educate reporters in how to use the tools that will become quickly embedded across our daily use of technology AND offer insight and transparency to readers who may be hesitant to trust these tools and the products that come from them.
Bay City News Policy on AI Use
This policy outlines the guidelines and principles that we as a newsroom have determined to govern the use of Artificial Intelligence technologies within our organization, which includes the Bay City News Service, the Local News Matters public website and our affiliated products such as newsletters and social media platforms. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the responsible, ethical, and legal use of AI in our efforts to provide meaningful, impactful news coverage for the communities we serve in the greater Bay Area, and to ensure that the use of AI in our newsroom adheres to our values as an organization. This policy applies to all employees, freelancers and contributors who work with our organization.
Commitment to Ethical Standards
Bay City News commits to using AI technologies only in manners which uphold our high standard of integrity, accuracy, fairness and transparency. The use of AI tools will never be used to mislead readers, manipulate facts or misrepresent information. We rigorously apply ethical standards of journalism to all our work and adhere to the standards of the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics.
Examples of AI Use
We do not use generative AI to write stories; reporters and editors are responsible for creating the work we publish. We do use AI search tools for researching documents, finding sources and uncovering information that, once independently verified, may become part of our reports. We use AI tools to analyze our performance as a news website, including tools to predict audience behavior, provide insights into reader patterns and understand how to better serve community information needs. We use AI for some commonly accepted uses such as spell check, photo sizing, A/B testing of headlines and the timing and wording of social media postings based on original content.
Transparency and Disclosure
Any content published with the use of AI must be approved by our top editors and managers and labeled transparently for readers. Any use of generative AI technology used to create published content will be clearly disclosed alongside the story or image. This includes any alteration of written and visual material such as summaries, lists, cartoons, photo illustrations or articles. This disclosure will serve to inform readers not only that AI was used, but the specific nature and extent of the role of those tools. Beyond that disclosure, we are committed to lifting the veil over AI use whenever possible by not only disclosing the use of AI, but by unpacking the process of using those tools and reflecting on that process in a way that brings readers into the fold in order to maximize the transparency and trust we have with our audience.
Accuracy and Verification
When using AI tools for story finding, news gathering, analysis, or content creation, we will independently verify the accuracy and reliability of all information produced. While AI technology has come far in its capacity for research and content generation, we understand the limitations of these tools and the issues that can arise from its use including bias based on the data input, the hallucination of false information, the misrepresentation of information removed from its context, and other challenges faced by generative AI. Any content generated with the use of AI will undergo rigorous and thorough review to ensure its accuracy and proper context.
AI and Human Oversight
Any use of AI technologies must be overseen by human editors or supervisors to ensure editorial standards are maintained. Any decisions of significant journalistic or operational consequence will remain in the hands of human staff, not AI.
Training and Education
We believe in a culture of ongoing education and exploration and are committed to equipping our staff with the tools and training required to adapt to emerging technologies, environments and standards. We will provide any necessary training and resources to our staff to ensure they understand and can effectively implement AI tools according to this AI Use Policy. Additionally, we will ensure that staff members and outside advisers with additional expertise in the use and ethical policies around AI are positioned to assist staff as they explore and make use of these tools. Users are encouraged to stay informed about the evolving ethical considerations and legal requirements related to AI, as well as to voice concerns and ask questions they may have regarding AI, its application and its limitations.
Data Privacy and Security
We are committed to protecting personal data and security in compliance with data protection laws. Any use of AI technologies will be done in a manner that protects privacy rights and keeps personal information secure from unauthorized access, alteration, and destruction.
Intellectual Property Rights
The use of AI technologies must respect intellectual property laws and rights. Any use of AI must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights of third parties. We retain the rights to AI-generated content produced using its resources, unless otherwise agreed upon.
Amendments
This policy may be amended at any time to reflect changes in legal requirements, industry standards or organizational needs. Staff will be notified of any significant changes, and our updated policy will be made public and accessible to our readers.
This policy was developed by Chloe Lee Rowlands, manager of technology and data journalism, and Katherine Ann Rowlands, publisher, with input from staff, reporters, and editors at Bay City News.
Last updated March 26, 2024.