As Forensics classes dwindle to an end, it is customary to discuss news and current events that students find interesting.

One day, a student brought up the topic of robot-generated writing.

He requested that an article from CNET, a prominent news site, be presented on the Smartboard. It was written not by a journalist or reporter, but by artificial intelligence (AI).

The article was riddled with inaccuracies ranging from simple calculation errors to grammatical ones, showing once again that humans have abilities and processes that can’t be replicated by a robot.

Now more than ever, the emergence of AI in the media threatens the foundation of ethical, trustworthy journalism. This spike in computer-generated news leads to misinformation.
Automated journalism, or algorithmic journalism, describes the infiltration of news media by AI computer programs, such as ChatGPT.

Users can simply type a word or prompt into the AI and receive a computer-generated story on the subject. This product is nothing like traditional forms of reporting, where the writer conducts interviews, completes research and undergoes edits.

Sure, a computer program can do the work of multiple people in less time and with less cost.
But, free doesn’t always mean better.

Computer programs lack the ability to be passionate about current events and can’t connect with readers.

An automated plane lacks a pilot’s instinct; an AI lacks a writer’s touch.

This misinformation and lack of empathy is detrimental to the public, as we rely on the media to inform us. When the information is inaccurate, what we once relied on loses credibility.
This loss of credibility proliferates a culture of ignorance and puts democracy at risk.

Now more than ever, we need accurate information to navigate the turbulent shores of politics, government and global issues we face daily. How can anyone expect to trust what’s supposed to be fact when the reporter doesn’t have a face, name or education?

Perhaps, as reporters, we’re leaning into our biases when we argue that AI makes a mockery of journalism. With the current state of the world, just reporting is needed more than ever, and we can’t trust AI to do that for us.