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Microsoft Launches Signals, an AI-Assisted News Platform
By Movieguide® Contributor
Microsoft has teamed up with media website Semafor to launch the news source Signals, which will release news articles written by humans but researched by AI.
“Signals responds to the deep and continuing shifts in the digital media landscape and the post-social news moment, and to the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence,” Semafor explains on its website.
“Our journalists around the globe identity the central facts of a story, then curate the key analysis and insight from a global range of news sources – including different, sometimes opposing views on the same piece of information. In this, they’re aided by AI tools that help them search for news sources across multiple languages and geographies, allowing them to extend their reach to bring more, and more diverse, perspective to readers,” the company continues.
While using AI tools for content creation has been controversial, through Signals, Microsoft hopes to provide a clear example where the technology is performing a task better than a human without replacing a human’s work. Signal’s writers will be given their sources by the AI, which will automatically translate any sources into a different language.
“Journalists need to adopt these tools in order to survive and thrive for another generation,” Noreen Gillespie, a former AP journalist now with Microsoft, told The Financial Times.
Semafor’s Signals is one of multiple new collaborations within the journalism space that Microsoft has recently announced. The company is also partnering with The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, The Online News Association, The GroundTruth Project and Nota to advance the use of AI tools in the newsroom.
“Through these new programs, we are helping these organizations identify and refine the procedures and policies to use AI responsibly in newsgathering and business practices, helping train a new generation of reporters on best uses of AI and identify ways AI can help create efficient business practices and help build sustainable newsrooms for generations to come,” Microsoft explained in a blog post.
All of these tools are powered by ChatGPT, in which Microsoft has a major stake.
Movieguide® previously reported on AI:
Rather than try to ban the technology, high school teacher Kyle Kellogg believes teachers should focus on guiding students to make honest choices and help them understand why they shouldn’t cheat.
“It’s not new for students to try to gain an edge,” Kellogg said. “Teaching is such a people business. It’s not a technology business. It’s a relationship between teachers and students and trying to convince students that what you’re selling is worth doing the right way.”
Thacker and Kellogg both understand that AI technology is here to stay, and to help students succeed in the future, they need to instruct them on today’s emerging technologies.
The current AI systems work by compiling information from online sources and are oftentimes not accurate about the information they provide. Thacker and Kellogg see this as an opportunity to teach students about information sourcing and how to determine the credibility of the information they read.
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