Microsoft Collaborates with News Organizations to Implement AI Tools
The technology giant Microsoft announced on Monday that it has entered into a series of agreements with news organizations to implement generative artificial intelligence tools in content production. This includes an alliance with the Semafor platform to create a global source of breaking news named Signals.
The goal is to support journalists by enabling them to use tools from Microsoft and its subsidiary Open AI to create the new product. Signals has been created in response to the changes in the digital media landscape and the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence.
Semafor Signals seems to draw from different media sources and summarize their contents in small publications. This includes citing sources such as The Times, The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, CBS News, and the Financial Times, among others. The content is offered for free, while many of the media sources are paid.
The agreements come at a time when Microsoft faces a lawsuit from the New York Times for the unauthorized use of its content to train artificial intelligence technologies. However, Microsoft states that the aim of the collaborations with news organizations is to use AI responsibly to support and innovate in the journalism sector.
Some of the specific agreements include a program to explore ways to incorporate generative AI into journalism, led by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. Additionally, startup Nota, with support from Microsoft, will launch a new tool called Proof to help journalists and editors reach audiences with their content through readability, SEO analysis, and links.
Each of the organizations involved in the agreements will have access to Microsoft experts, technology, and support throughout the year and has committed to sharing the results of their projects with the industry.
In light of the growing use of artificial intelligence in journalism, Microsoft aims to reassure newsrooms and media organizations about the risks and opportunities associated with the technology. They stress that journalism is essential to democracy and combating misinformation and that the use of AI should ultimately support journalists in their mission, not replace them.