Opinion: Journalism must define its relationship with AI now

As artificial intelligence reshapes the media landscape, news organisations must act decisively to define their relationship with the technology now, this commentary argues, rather than allowing the terms to be dictated by the technology companies or by default, with the future of journalism potentially at stake.

The rapid rise of generative AI presented journalism with both opportunities and profound threats, from the potential to assist reporting to the risk of undermining the traffic, revenue and value on which the press depended, making the stakes of the response exceptionally high.

The argument holds that news organisations should move proactively on multiple fronts: establishing clear principles for the responsible use of AI in their own work, protecting their content and interests, and seeking fair terms for the use of their journalism by AI companies.

This would mean, the commentary suggests, setting standards and safeguards for the use of AI in newsrooms to protect accuracy and trust, pursuing licensing arrangements or legal action to secure compensation for the use of journalism, and advocating for policies to protect the press.

The alternative, the argument warns, is to allow the technology companies to set the terms, to permit journalism to be used freely to build commercial AI products, and to risk the further erosion of the already fragile economics of the press, with grave consequences for journalism and the public.

The question of journalism's relationship with artificial intelligence had become one of the most consequential facing the press, and this commentary contends that news organisations must engage with it decisively and proactively, shaping the terms rather than being shaped by them. The choices made in this critical period, the argument holds, would help determine whether journalism could thrive, or merely survive, in the age of AI, making decisive action an urgent imperative for the future of the press.