OpenAI, Creator of ChatGPT, is donating $5 million to the American Journalism Project to develop AI tools to assist and support local journalism.
“To ensure local journalism remains an essential pillar of our democracy, we need to be smart about the potential powers and pitfalls of new technology,” American Journalism Project CEO Sarabeth Berman said in a statement. “With this partnership, we aim to promote ways for AI to enhance—rather than imperil—journalism.”
AI, or generative algorithms, are here to stay. They’re a controversial new addition to the content scene – they introduce an element of distrust into everything we see and read. Was this article produced by a human or a string of code? What about the sources it sites? The photos it features? Are any of them true, or original content? And how do we continue to verify them, as more and more AI-generated content pollutes the web, using each other as flawed source material?
While the AJP was enthusiastic about the potential for using AI to cover the news, the organization did acknowledge the technology’s flaws, including the potential to be used to spread misinformation. In June, the United Nations sounded the alarm on bad actors using AI-generated deepfakes to spread misinformation on social media.
“These risks have further intensified because of rapid advancements in technology, such as generative artificial intelligence,” United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said at the time. “It has become clear that business as usual is not an option.”
OpenAI has been a major part of the rise of easily-available AI-generated content, but has also sought to be a part of the solution, producing tools meant to detect AI-generated content for teachers fighting plagarism and news sources wanting to prove their legitimacy. Alongside the $5M donation, they’ll make those tools available to the AJP.