A FEW WORDS ABOUT AI
and skipping the parts you already know about
After over 30 years of writing columns for journalists, I’m flabbergasted that anyone is interested in what I have to say. But it seems there are few of you left, so I’ll spend a little time this Saturday evening sharing my thoughts about artificial intelligence (AI) and its use by those of us in the news business.
Those who know me well know I’m not one to fall for the latest “gadgets” and “get rich quick” ideas. This probably comes from speaking at thousands of conferences over the years and seeing more “next big things” than I could count with a calculator. I remember being at a convention in Texas more than a decade ago when a publisher asked about a product being promoted by a “hot” vendor. I told the publisher, “They won’t be in business a year from now,” and they weren’t.
So please don’t lose patience when you don’t see me getting overly excited about anything, including artificial intelligence. That doesn’t mean I don’t see incredible potential in using AI or that I don’t think it’s a major force right now. It only means I try not to let emotions get the best of me regarding new technology. Let’s face it: I’ve spent most of my adult life developing, testing, using, and writing about technology. There was a time when my office looked like a computer store because of all the free software and hardware I received almost daily from companies hoping I would promote their products.
Yet here I am. Writing about artificial intelligence. I’ve even made a decent living – well, part of my living – speaking at conferences and leading workshops and webinars on the topic of AI. I acquiesced when universities and press associations began asking me to discuss artificial intelligence with publishers and university faculty. Let’s face it: it’s fun being considered an expert by professors who make a living from being experts.
When I speak with groups about AI, I generally break it down like this:
You probably have noticed I haven’t spent time promoting particular AI software or tools. It’s not because there aren’t great AI tools available for newspapers and other media types. It’s just that plenty of folks are writing and talking about these tools and how to use them. And remember, it’s Saturday night while I’m writing this, so I have no desire to get wordy.
Listen, I’ve used Grammarly since it first came to the market. I wouldn’t even think of letting one of my writers or editors send me their work without using Grammarly to go through it with a fine-tooth comb. I receive book manuscripts almost daily from authors, hoping I’ll consider publishing their books. And yes, I often use ChatGPT to create an outline and summary of the manuscripts to help me decide whether or not I want to take the time to read 40,000 words. I admit it: I’ve used Downsub to transcribe videos and create outlines of meetings. I’ve even used the AI tools in Photoshop to create additional content for an image to be used in an ad.
I once asked my brother – a leader in the world of computer science, including AI – for a quote I could share with audiences concerning AI. He did a good job summarizing my thoughts when he said, “You really shouldn’t be afraid of AI. Just like the internet (when it was new), we knew it could do good things, and we knew it could do bad things. There’s no need to be afraid of it. We can’t stop it. So, we might as well figure out what parts of AI to use and what parts of AI to leave alone.”
I don’t need to tell you never to use AI to write newspaper stories. You already know that. I don’t need to remind you that stories about high school ballgames written with AI almost always sound like a computer wrote them (and often get the details wrong). You know that.
I’ll just give you a pat on the back for sticking to your ethics and, in my brother's words, “(figuring) out what parts of AI to use and what parts of AI to leave alone.”
That’s 800 words. It seems my work is done.
Kevin Slimp has been a popular consultant and speaker in the newspaper industry since developing the PDF remote printing method in 1994. His upcoming webinars on design, circulation, and software can be found at newspaperacademy.com.
Kevin Slimp is former director of The University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute and founder of NewspaperAcademy.com.
After over 30 years of writing columns for journalists, I’m flabbergasted that anyone is interested in what I have to say. But it seems there are few of you left, so I’ll spend a little time this Saturday evening sharing my thoughts about artificial intelligence (AI) and its use by those of us in the news business.
Those who know me well know I’m not one to fall for the latest “gadgets” and “get rich quick” ideas. This probably comes from speaking at thousands of conferences over the years and seeing more “next big things” than I could count with a calculator. I remember being at a convention in Texas more than a decade ago when a publisher asked about a product being promoted by a “hot” vendor. I told the publisher, “They won’t be in business a year from now,” and they weren’t.
So please don’t lose patience when you don’t see me getting overly excited about anything, including artificial intelligence. That doesn’t mean I don’t see incredible potential in using AI or that I don’t think it’s a major force right now. It only means I try not to let emotions get the best of me regarding new technology. Let’s face it: I’ve spent most of my adult life developing, testing, using, and writing about technology. There was a time when my office looked like a computer store because of all the free software and hardware I received almost daily from companies hoping I would promote their products.
Yet here I am. Writing about artificial intelligence. I’ve even made a decent living – well, part of my living – speaking at conferences and leading workshops and webinars on the topic of AI. I acquiesced when universities and press associations began asking me to discuss artificial intelligence with publishers and university faculty. Let’s face it: it’s fun being considered an expert by professors who make a living from being experts.
When I speak with groups about AI, I generally break it down like this:
- The history of AI dating back to the 1940s
- Developments over the past 20 years that have sped up AI capabilities
- “Machine Learning” and how it forms the backbone of artificial intelligence
- Why artificial intelligence gets so much wrong
- Use of AI in the current business world
- Practical AI tools for possible use in communications and journalism
- Ethical considerations
- Creating an AI ethics policy
You probably have noticed I haven’t spent time promoting particular AI software or tools. It’s not because there aren’t great AI tools available for newspapers and other media types. It’s just that plenty of folks are writing and talking about these tools and how to use them. And remember, it’s Saturday night while I’m writing this, so I have no desire to get wordy.
Listen, I’ve used Grammarly since it first came to the market. I wouldn’t even think of letting one of my writers or editors send me their work without using Grammarly to go through it with a fine-tooth comb. I receive book manuscripts almost daily from authors, hoping I’ll consider publishing their books. And yes, I often use ChatGPT to create an outline and summary of the manuscripts to help me decide whether or not I want to take the time to read 40,000 words. I admit it: I’ve used Downsub to transcribe videos and create outlines of meetings. I’ve even used the AI tools in Photoshop to create additional content for an image to be used in an ad.
I once asked my brother – a leader in the world of computer science, including AI – for a quote I could share with audiences concerning AI. He did a good job summarizing my thoughts when he said, “You really shouldn’t be afraid of AI. Just like the internet (when it was new), we knew it could do good things, and we knew it could do bad things. There’s no need to be afraid of it. We can’t stop it. So, we might as well figure out what parts of AI to use and what parts of AI to leave alone.”
I don’t need to tell you never to use AI to write newspaper stories. You already know that. I don’t need to remind you that stories about high school ballgames written with AI almost always sound like a computer wrote them (and often get the details wrong). You know that.
I’ll just give you a pat on the back for sticking to your ethics and, in my brother's words, “(figuring) out what parts of AI to use and what parts of AI to leave alone.”
That’s 800 words. It seems my work is done.
Kevin Slimp has been a popular consultant and speaker in the newspaper industry since developing the PDF remote printing method in 1994. His upcoming webinars on design, circulation, and software can be found at newspaperacademy.com.
Kevin Slimp is former director of The University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute and founder of NewspaperAcademy.com.