Abstract

AI systems are perceived as valuable aids for newswork, and their integration into newsrooms has generated significant optimism to the point that specific fields of applications such as automated transcriptions, translations, or systems for information retrieval have become commonplace in news production. However, the general celebration of AI’s potentials is often accompanied by a certain skepticism among journalists about the consequences of AI in the newsroom. This pushback is not only related to the increasing institutionalization of AI in news work that entails consequences for the nature, role, and workflows of journalism, but also to the more general uncertainty about the future and purpose of journalism. The increasing pervasiveness of AI throughout the whole news cycle makes it therefore essential to address three key challenges for ensuring a responsible design, implementation, and use of AI systems in news media and journalism: 1) the promotion of editorial values regarding the use of AI; 2) AI governance; and 3) understanding AI actor constellations and the powers at play