Through ongoing research, it’s become apparent the growing divide between journalists worried about AI impacting our jobs, and those stepping up to figure out how these new tools can enhance our work. While the former seem to be everywhere, there’s not enough attention on the latter innovators.
Ultimately, these tools are here to stay and keep getting better – and journalists need to have the grit and tech know-how to deploy AI tools in keeping the field of journalism afloat. In Bot Beat’s pilot episodes, I chat with an incredible line-up of journalists who are experimenting with AI usage in journalism right now.
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In episode 1 of Bot Beat, “Counting Craters with The New York Times’ Ishaan Jhaveri,” we chat about how the Visual Investigations team deployed AI tools to analyze Israel’s use of 2,000lb bombs in Gaza. The groundbreaking reporting was honored just last week with the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting, as part of a winning package of New York Times reporting on the conflict. If you’re interested in visualizing the methodologies used, watch the full video report after my episode.
In episode 2 of Bot Beat, “Spotting Fake Reporters with Futurism’s Maggie Harrison,” we catch up about a crushing phenomenon she discovered, involving Sports Illustrated and AdVon. Her original reporting about fake reporters unveiled quite the scandal. Yet, she kept digging – and her impressive follow-up feature even further uncovered the depth of AdVon’s misleading influence.
In episode 3 of Bot Beat, “Building Watchdog Tools with Nieman Fellow Jaemark Tordecilla,” we chat about a tool he built, and how AI can help supercharge investigative journalism in the developing world. As the former editor of GMA News, the largest news website in the Philippines, Jaemark had a breadth of experience on using new technologies to innovate newsroom processes – leading him to dive into AI experimentation in his first months at Harvard this fall. If you like the episode, be sure to read his thorough explainer on the technical details of his tool, published for the Reuters Institute.
I hope you’ll tune in! And please, let me know what you think the urgent questions are, especially in a field that is moving so fast. And for journalists out there using AI – you want to talk to me about it? Comments, ideas, and connections can go to [email protected].
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
