News Corp Australia is utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce an impressive 3,000 articles per week, according to executive chair Michael Miller. The company has a dedicated team of four staff members who leverage AI technology to generate a multitude of local stories each week. These articles cover topics such as weather, fuel prices, and traffic conditions, and are published on News Corp’s 75 hyper-local mastheads throughout the country.
Led by data journalism editor Peter Judd, the team responsible for generating these articles is known as Data Local. Many of the articles bear Judd’s byline, and they complement the copy written by News Corp reporters for their local publications. Despite being created using AI, the articles are supervised by journalists. However, no disclosure is made on the page indicating that AI technology was used in their compilation.
According to a News Corp spokesperson, the articles produced can be more accurately described as providing service information. For several years, the company has employed automation to update local fuel prices multiple times daily, as well as to provide daily court lists, traffic and weather updates, and death and funeral notices. The spokesperson emphasized that all information and editorial decisions are overseen by working journalists from the Data Local team.
Miller, speaking at the World News Media Congress in Taipei, revealed that the majority of new subscribers purchase a subscription for the local news coverage and subsequently delve into national, international, and lifestyle news as well. In fact, 55% of all subscriptions are driven by the hyperlocal mastheads, and News Corp has introduced 24 new digital-only titles in recent years to further enhance its regional coverage.
Acknowledging the changing landscape of print media, News Corp halted the printing of 112 of Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in 2020, with 36 of them closing completely. However, many titles transitioned to a digital-only format, and the company has since launched various new local digital publications. These titles are typically staffed by a single journalist and focus on regions with a population of 15,000 or more.
Miller highlighted the cost-effectiveness of such digital publications, stating that if a single journalist can generate seven new subscriptions each week, their salary is covered. These digital publications primarily target progressive communities with active interests in sports, politics, business, and tourism, as well as lower levels of engagement on social media.
The adoption of AI for newsrooms is a growing trend in Australia, with major media organizations like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Nine Entertainment exploring its potential. The ABC, for instance, is focused on AI applications that enhance content accessibility, such as transcription services, AI voice articles, translation capabilities, and personalized recommendations. The organization has been thoroughly evaluating the advantages AI could bring to public interest journalism.
Furthermore, Nine Entertainment has not yet shared an official AI policy but is likely to join its counterparts in exploring the benefits of AI implementation in their newsrooms.
In summary, News Corp Australia’s use of generative AI to produce 3,000 local articles per week demonstrates the evolving landscape of news production. Although the articles are generated using AI technology, they are reviewed and supervised by journalists to ensure accuracy and quality. This approach allows News Corp to enhance its local news coverage, attract new subscribers, and adapt to the changing nature of print media. The trend of integrating AI tools in newsrooms reflects the industry’s ongoing effort to advance and provide improved accessibility to news content.
