Michelle ThompsonThe New York Times has introduced a new role within its newsroom: the editorial director of artificial intelligence initiatives. Zach Seward, the founding editor of the technology-focused outlet Quartz, has been selected for this pioneering position. In his role, Seward will be tasked with devising a strategy to leverage the capabilities of AI to enhance the newspaper’s offerings while maintaining the high quality of its trusted journalism.
Executive Editor Joe Kahn and Deputy Managing Editor Sam Dolnick explained in a memo to the staff that one of Zach’s initial responsibilities would be collaborating with newsroom leadership to establish guidelines for the use of generative AI. They emphasized that The New York Times is committed to the idea that its journalism will always be produced, written, and edited by its team of expert journalists.
It will indeed be intriguing to revisit the latter part of that statement in the years to come. Whether all of The New York Times’ journalism will “always” be authored and edited by human beings in 10, 20, or 50 years remains a topic of debate and uncertainty. As of now, advancements like OpenAI’s GPT-4 already demonstrate the ability to construct sentences more effectively than many humans, and at a much faster pace. In the next few years, this emerging technology is expected to mature and progress significantly.
It’s challenging to envision a scenario where, at some point, it wouldn’t be economically feasible to have humans write stories when a machine can do so faster and with higher quality. However, it’s important to note that many facets of journalism will still require the skills and insights of human reporters and editors. The relationship between AI and journalism is evolving, and its ultimate impact on the industry remains to be seen.
On Tuesday, The New York Times revealed the establishment of a novel position in its newsroom: the editorial director of artificial intelligence initiatives. For this groundbreaking role, The NYT selected Zach Seward, who previously served as the founding editor of the technology-focused outlet Quartz. The newspaper stated that Seward’s primary responsibility will be crafting a strategy and identifying methods through which The New York Times can harness the capabilities of AI to enhance its offerings, all while maintaining the high quality of its trusted journalism.
The establishment of Zach Seward’s role signals the crucial and transformative role that AI will play in producing and delivering news to audiences. It acknowledges that, to remain competitive as a business, integrating rapidly advancing technology into the organization’s core functions is imperative.
The primary challenge facing editorial leaders is how to effectively harness this exciting yet perilous technology. Some newsrooms have ventured into experimenting with AI to generate entire news stories, which, given the current state of technology, has resulted in embarrassing errors and challenges. Organizations like CNET, Gannett, Sports Illustrated, Gizmodo, and others have faced public setbacks in their encounters with AI.
Conversely, certain newsrooms, including The New York Times, believe that human journalists should always be responsible for producing news, while AI can serve as a valuable tool. For instance, AI can assist in tasks such as generating compelling headlines. Figures like BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti champion the idea that AI can empower humans to become better storytellers and deliver innovative products to audiences.
Seward’s role will involve identifying suitable use cases for AI within The New York Times’ newsroom. In their announcement, Kahn and Dolnick mentioned that he will establish a small team and explore generative AI tools and prototype ideas. The specific applications of AI are yet to be determined, but the possibility of incorporating generative AI tools into publishing tools and digital products is on the table.
They also emphasized that Seward will monitor the rapidly evolving industry landscape to ensure that The Times remains aligned with the changing internet landscape and evolving reader expectations.
Given the swift pace of AI’s development and the pressures it exerts on the already struggling news industry, it’s clear that Seward will have a substantial workload as he undertakes this role. For the sake of the news business, it’s hoped that leaders like Seward will pave the way for journalists to collaborate effectively with AI rather than witnessing further erosion of jobs in their profession.
Emily Martinez
