Veteran journalist and professor at the City University of New York, Jeff Jarvis, offered a guarded perspective. He stated that journalists could utilize Google Genesis, but with a condition – the tool needs to reliably deliver factual information. However, with Genesis yet to officially launch, its credibility and potential for spreading misinformation remain unknown.
This uncertainty is not baseless. Google’s rush to leverage AI technology and compete with Microsoft-backed OpenAI has already faced challenges. OpenAI’s generative AI tech, Bard, experienced backlash for disseminating misinformation shortly after its Twitter debut.
Previous AI Endeavors in Journalism: A Checkered Past
Google Genesis follows a series of somewhat unsuccessful attempts to integrate AI tools into journalism. Most recently, CNET found itself in hot water after 77 AI-authored articles published under ‘CNET Money’ were flagged for substantial errors.
Gizmodo’s ‘io9’ faced a similar situation earlier this month when it published a Star Wars piece teeming with inaccuracies, all credited to the ‘Gizmodo Bot.’ With editorial teams kept out of the AI-publishing process, opportunities for quality control were noticeably absent. This trend raises questions about the role of AI tools like Google Genesis in the future of journalism.
