VOA慢速：美国报业公司开始使用AI进行出版
US Newspaper Company Starts Using AI for Publishing
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
The largest newspaper company in the U.S., Gannett, says it will start using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to write short versions of stories written by humans.
The company recently announced a plan to use “generative AI” to add short pieces of information to the top of each story. Generative AI tools use machine learning methods to train computer systems on huge amounts of data to produce human-quality results.
Gannett says it will test the system later this year. Human writers and editors will look at what the technology produces and decide whether it meets the company’s standards for publishing.
Renn Turiano is a top official with Gannett. He explained that AI technology can be useful to reduce “tedious” jobs currently performed by journalists. He noted that Gannett will test its AI system slowly before it is permanently deployed.
Some news organizations launched the technology too quickly and experienced problems. This included cases where AI systems created factual errors in stories. Turiano said at Gannett, “We’re not making that mistake.”
Other news organizations have said they are taking their time considering how to use generative AI tools. This includes the Reuters news agency, which provided the information for this story. Paul Bascobert is the president of Reuters. He said the news organization “embraces” AI. But he added that the news agency is seeking to use “responsible” methods to make sure the system upholds standards for accurate reporting.
Earlier this year, two publishers ― Men’s Journal and CNET ― had problems with AI generated material. In January, CNET reported that a number of stories written by AI had appeared on its website without being checked by humans. Many of the stories contained mistakes. In February, Men’s Journal published some AI-generated stories on its website that also contained mistakes.
Some experts say one of the problems with AI technologies is that they can “hallucinate,” or make things up that are not true.
Nicholas Diakopoulos is a professor of communication studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. He told Reuters he thinks news organizations need to take their time with generative AI. Diakopoulos advises that news organizations not use such tools to publish stories without any human involvement in the process.
Gannett recently announced it was cutting 600 jobs. Some of the journalists still working at the company worry that AI will one day replace them. In early June, hundreds of Gannett workers left their jobs for a short time to protest job cuts and low pay. The labor group that represents some of the journalists said the company’s use of generative AI is one of its main concerns.
Gannett, however, says the technology will not replace humans. Instead, it is designed to help employees be more effective and give them more time to do other, more valuable work. Journalists from Gannett’s USA Today publication are currently examining test stories written by its generative AI system.
Gannett is also working to develop natural language generation technology. That system would write stories based on already-confirmed facts.
Reuters reports several large news organizations ― including the New York Times, Washington Post and BBC ― are all working on AI tools to help create stories. Those companies say they are currently testing their systems.
Bloomberg, a financial news organization, said it hopes to use AI to create business reports based on financial data.
Miranda Marcus is the head of BBC News Labs. The group is testing AI tools that aim to write stories based on previously published information. Those stories are called “explainers.”
But the BBC says it is being careful. Marcus discussed the stories with Reuters and said they would never be seen by readers unless a human journalist decided to make them public.
Marcus said there are a number of ways AI could be used to help journalists. She called the current situation a “whole other universe of what kinds of stories we can tell with these tools.” But she warned, “We’re not there yet.”
I’m Dan Friedell.
VOCABULARY
1. deploy v. (formal) to use sth. effectively 有效地利用；调动。例如：to deploy arguments / resources利用论据 / 资源
2. embrace v. to accept an idea, a proposal, a set of beliefs, etc., especially when it is done with enthusiasm 欣然接受，乐意采纳（思想、建议等）
3. hallucinate v. to see or hear things that are not really there because of illness or drugs （由于生病、吸毒）幻听，幻视，产生幻觉
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. What is Gannett’s plan for using “generative AI”?
A) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
B) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To train computer systems on huge amounts of data to produce human-quality results.
2. According to Renn Turiano, what is one advantage of using AI technology for journalists?
A) To help them write more detailed stories.
B) To reduce tedious jobs currently performed by journalists.
C) To increase the speed of publishing articles.
D) To generate more creative ideas for stories.
3. What problems did Men’s Journal and CNET experience when they used AI-generated material?
A) They experienced problems with AI-generated material.
B) They successfully published a number of stories written by AI.
C) They replaced their human journalists with AI technology.
D) They created a number of “explainers” based on previously published information.
4. What is one potential downside of using AI-generated material in journalism?
A) It can lead to a decrease in the quality of reporting.
B) It can result in the loss of jobs for human journalists.
C) It can cause factual errors in stories.
D) It can make it difficult to generate new ideas for stories.
5. What is the purpose of natural language generation technology being developed by Gannett?
A) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
B) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To write stories based on already-confirmed facts.
6. What is Bloomberg’s plan for using AI technology?
A) To create business reports based on financial data.
B) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To write stories based on already-confirmed facts.
7. What is BBC News Labs testing AI tools for?
A) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
B) To create “explainers” based on previously published information.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
8. What is Miranda Marcus’ opinion on the use of AI in journalism?
A) She believes AI should replace human journalists entirely.
B) She thinks news organizations should be cautious when using generative AI tools without human involvement in the process.
C) She thinks generative AI should be deployed as quickly as possible to keep up with competitors.
D) She believes that AI-generated stories are more valuable than those written by humans.
KEY
1. What is Gannett’s plan for using “generative AI”?
A) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
B) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To train computer systems on huge amounts of data to produce human-quality results.
【答案】 C
【解析】细节题。Gannett计划使用“生成式AI”在每个故事的顶部添加简短的信息。
2. According to Renn Turiano, what is one advantage of using AI technology for journalists?
A) To help them write more detailed stories.
B) To reduce tedious jobs currently performed by journalists.
C) To increase the speed of publishing articles.
D) To generate more creative ideas for stories.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。Renn Turiano认为，使用AI技术可以减少记者目前执行的“乏味”工作。
3. What problems did Men’s Journal and CNET experience when they used AI-generated material?
A) They experienced problems with AI-generated material.
B) They successfully published a number of stories written by AI.
C) They replaced their human journalists with AI technology.
D) They created a number of “explainers” based on previously published information.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。Men’s Journal和CNET在使用AI生成的材料时遇到了问题。
4. What is one potential downside of using AI-generated material in journalism?
A) It can lead to a decrease in the quality of reporting.
B) It can result in the loss of jobs for human journalists.
C) It can cause factual errors in stories.
D) It can make it difficult to generate new ideas for stories.
【答案】 C
【解析】细节题。使用AI生成的材料可能会导致故事中的事实错误。
5. What is the purpose of natural language generation technology being developed by Gannett?
A) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
B) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To write stories based on already-confirmed facts.
【答案】D
【解析】细节题。Gannett正在开发自然语言生成技术，旨在根据已经确认的事实编写故事。
6. What is Bloomberg’s plan for using AI technology?
A) To create business reports based on financial data.
B) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To write stories based on already-confirmed facts.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。Bloomberg希望利用AI技术根据财务数据创建商业报告。
7. What is BBC News Labs testing AI tools for?
A) To write full-length articles using AI technology.
B) To create “explainers” based on previously published information.
C) To add short pieces of information to the top of each story using AI.
D) To replace human journalists with AI-generated stories.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。BBC News Labs正在测试AI工具，旨在根据先前发布的信息创建“解释性”故事。
8. What is Miranda Marcus’ opinion on the use of AI in journalism?
A) She believes AI should replace human journalists entirely.
B) She thinks news organizations should be cautious when using generative AI tools without human involvement in the process.
C) She thinks generative AI should be deployed as quickly as possible to keep up with competitors.
D) She believes that AI-generated stories are more valuable than those written by humans.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。Miranda Marcus认为，在没有人类参与的情况下使用生成式AI工具时，新闻机构应该谨慎。
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