AI Implementation Strategies in the Spanish Press MediaOrganizational Dynamics, Application Flows, Uses and Future Trends

  1. César Fieiras Ceide 1
  2. Martin Vaz Álvarez 2
  3. Isaac Maroto González 1
  1. 1 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
    info

    Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

    Santiago de Compostela, España

    ROR https://ror.org/030eybx10

  2. 2 Universitat Pompeu Fabra
    info

    Universitat Pompeu Fabra

    Barcelona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04n0g0b29

Journal:
Trípodos

ISSN: 1138-3305 2340-5007

Year of publication: 2024

Issue Title: Artificial Intelligence and Communication. Opportunities and challenges

Issue: 55

Pages: 10-32

Type: Article

More publications in: Trípodos

Abstract

This research analyses the artificial intelligence application strategies adopted by the Spanish press media at the height of the generative AI boom, extending previous studies on integrating AI technology into journalistic routines. We studied the dynamics of implementation of AI solutions in the main newspapers in Spain, determining the departments or professionals involved, the current uses, and how AI affects their organization chart and professional profiles, as well as providing insights into the future trends of this technology in the sector. For this purpose, a qualitative methodology was employed, based on interviews with a purposive sample of executives from the 10 newspapers with the largest circulation in Spain: El País, La Vanguardia, Marca, La Voz de Galicia, As, ABC, El Mundo, El Correo, El Diario Vasco and Mundo Deportivo. The results reveal that AI is conceived in the Spanish press media as an assistant aimed at optimizing all kinds of mechanical processes and existing products, not at amplifying coverage or generating final pieces that reduce the standard of quality essential to their subscription model. Groups such as Prisa, Vocento or Unidad Editorial centralize their AI strategy, while Grupo Godó delegates this management to its headers. These newspapers consider that AI will boost the renewal of job profiles in their structures, despite the fact that they do not currently have strictly specialized professionals.

Bibliographic References

  • Ayuso, Silvia and Pascual, Manuel G. (11 May 2023). Europe wants to put more obligations on generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT. El País. https://is.gd/lQNRia.
  • Bozdag, Engin and Hoven, Jeroen van den (2015). Breaking the filter bubble: Democracy and design. Ethics and Information Technology, 17, 249-265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-015-9380-y.
  • Bulck, H. van den and Moe, H. (2018). Public service media, universality and personalisation through algorithms: Mapping strategies and exploring dilemmas. Media, Culture and Society, 40(6), 875-892. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443717734407.
  • Bullard, Gabe (2023). Smart ways journalists can exploit artificial intelligence. Nieman Foundation. nieman.harvard.edu.
  • Campesato, Oswald (2020). Artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning. Mercury Learning and Information.
  • Davenport, Thomas H. and Mittal, Nitin (14 November 2022). How generative AI is changing creative work. Harvard Business Review. https://is.gd/by7hQt.
  • Diakopoulos, Nicholas (2019). The impact of AI on journalism and media content generation. Artificial Intelligence at Northwestern - Northwestern University. https://ai.northwestern.edu/.
  • Euronews (2023). As newsrooms start to em-brace generative AI, what does that mean for journalism? https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/06/20/as-newsrooms-start-to-embrace-generative-ai-what-does-that-mean-for-journalism.
  • Fieiras Ceide, César; Vaz-Álvarez, Miguel, and Túñez-López, Martín (2022a). Artificial intelligence strategies in European public broadcasters: Uses, forecasts and future challenges. Profesional de la Informacion, 31(5). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2022.sep.18.
  • Fieiras Ceide, César; Vaz-Álvarez, Miguel, and Túñez-López, Martín (2022b). Automated content verification in European public broadcasters: First approaches to the use of artificial intelligence. Redmarka. Journal of Applied Marketing, 26(1), 36-51. https://doi.org/10.17979/redma.2022.26.1.8932. https://doi.org/10.17979/redma.2022.26.1.8932.
  • Fieiras Ceide, César; Vaz-Álvarez, Miguel, and Túñez-López, Martín (2023). Designing personalisation of European public service media (PSM): Trends on algorithms and ar-tificial intelligence for content distribution. Profesional de la Información, 32(3). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.may.11.
  • Franganillo, Jorge (2023). Generative artificial intelligence and its impact on media con-tent creation. Methaodos. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 11(2), m231102a10. http://dx.doi.org/10.17502/mrcs.v11i2.710.
  • Gilbert, Jeremy (2021). AI and its impact on the future of journalism. Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/artificial-intelligence/inside-our-program/stories/2021/ai-and-its-impact-on-the-future-of-journalism.html.
  • Gilbert, Jeremy (2023). AI and its impact on the future of journalism. Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering. mccormick.northwestern.edu.
  • Gondwe, Gregory (2023). Exploring the multifaceted nature of generative AI in journalism studies: A typology of scholarly definitions. SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4465446 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4465446.
  • González Arencibia, Mario and Martínez Cardero, Dagmaris (2020). Ethical dilemmas in the artificial intelligence scenario. Economía y Sociedad, 25(57), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.15359/eys.25-57.5
  • Gutiérrez-Caneda, Beatriz; Vázquez-Herrero, Jorge, and López-García, Xosé (2023). AI application in journalism: ChatGPT and the uses and risks of an emergent technology. Profesional de la Información, 32(5), e320514. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2023.sep.14.
  • Hansen, Mark; Roca-Sales, Meritxell; Keegan, Jonathan M., and King, George (2017). Ar-tificial intelligence: Practice and implications for journalism. Columbia University Academic Commons. academiccommons.columbia.edu.
  • Hireche, Abdelhadi; Nasreddine Belkacem, Abdelkader; Jamil, Sadia, and Chen, Chao (2023). News GPT: ChatGPT integration for robot-reporter. Cornell University.
  • Jones, Bronwyn and Jones, Rhianne (2019). Public service chatbots: Automating con-versation with BBC News. Digital Journal-ism, 7(8), 1032-1053. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2019.1609371.
  • Lee, Kai-Fu (2018). AI superpowers. China, Silicon Valley and the new world order. Hough-ton Mifflin Harcourt.
  • Media Association (2023). Observatory of the daily press media. September 2023 report.
  • Möller, Judith; Trilling, Damian; Helberger, Natali, and Es, Bram van (2018). Do not blame it on the algorithm: An empirical assessment of multiple recommender systems and their impact on content diversity. Information, Communication & Society, 21(7), 959-977. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1444076.
  • Napoli, Philip M. (2011). Exposure diversity reconsidered. Journal of Information Policy, 1, 246-259. https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfo-poli.1.2011.0246.
  • Pariser, Eli (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin Books. ISBN: 978 0 241954522.
  • Pedrero-Esteban, Luis Miguel and Pérez-Esco-da, Ana (2021). Democracy and digitization: Ethical implications of AI in content personalization through voice interfaces. Recerca. Revista de Pensament i Anàlisi, 26(2), 1-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.6035/re-cerca.4666.
  • Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2023). Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2023. https://reu-tersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/journalism-media-and-technology-trends-and-predic-tions-2023.
  • Rodrigo-Ginés, Francisco Javier; Carrillo-de-Albornoz, Jorge, and Plaza, Laura (2023). A systematic review on media bias detection: What is media bias, how it is express me-diated, and how to detect it. Expert Systems with Applications, 237. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.121641.
  • Sánchez-García, Pilar; Merayo-Álvarez, Noemí; Calvo-Barbero, Carlos, and Díez-Gracia, Alba (2023). Spanish technological development of artificial intelligence applied to journalism: Companies and tools for documentation, production and distribution of information. Profesional de la Informacion, 32(2). Scopus https://doi.org/10.3145/EPI.2023.MAR.08.
  • Santos, Fática C. Carrillo (2023). Artificial in-telligence in automated detection of disinformation: A thematic analysis. Journalism and Media, 4(2), 679-687. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia4020043.
  • Sørensen, Jannick Kirk; Bulck, Hilde van den, and Kosta, Sokol (2021). Stop spreading the data: PSM, trust, and third-party ser-vices. Journal of Information Policy, 10, 474-513 https://doi.org/10.5325/JINFOPO-LI.10.2020.0474.
  • Toural-Bran, Carlos and Vizoso, Ángel (2022). Chapter 18. Journalists facing automation and artificial intelligence: The importance of training. Espejo de Monografías de Comunicación Social, (7), 273-288. https://doi.org/10.52495/c18.emcs.7.p92.
  • Túñez-López, José Miguel; Fieiras-Ceide, César, and Vaz-Álvarez, Martín (2021). Impact of artificial intelligence on journalism: Transformations in the company, products, contents and professional profile. Communication & Society, 34(1), 177-193. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.34.1.177-193.
  • Ufarte-Ruiz, María José; Murcia-Verdú, Francisco José, and Túñez-López, José Miguel (2023). Use of artificial intelligence in synthetic media: First newsrooms without journalists. Profesional de la Informacion, 32(2). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3145/EPI.2023.MAR.03.
  • Wang, Sitong; Menon, Samia; Long, Tao; Hen-derson, Keren; Li, Dingzeyu; Crowston, Kevin; Hansen, Mark; Nickerson, Jeffrey and Chilton, Lydia (2023). ReelFramer: Co-creating news reels on social media with generative AI. arXiv:2304.09653.
  • WHO (2020). Rolling updates on coronavirus disease (Covid-19). WHO Press Media.
  • Zuiderveen-Borgesius, Frederik; Trilling, Damian; Moeller, Judith; Bodó, Balázs; Vreese, Claes H. de, and Helberger, Natali (2016). Should we worry about filter bubbles? Internet Policy Review. Journal on Internet Regulation, 5(1). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2758126