Policies in Parallel? A Comparative Study of Journalistic AI Policies in 52 Global News Organisations

Abstract

A growing number of news organisations have set up specific guidelines to govern how they use artificial intelligence (AI). This article analyses a set of 52 guidelines from publishers in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Looking at both formal and thematic characteristics, we provide comparative insights into how news outlets address both expectations and concerns when it comes to using AI in the news. Drawing from neo- institutional theory and the concept of institutional isomorphism, we argue that the policies show signs of homogeneity, likely explained by isomorphic dynamics which arose as a response to the uncertainty created by the rise of generative AI after the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Our study shows that publishers have already begun to converge in their guidelines on key points such as transparency and human supervision when dealing with AI-generated content. However, we argue that national and organisational idiosyncrasies continue to matter in shaping publishers’ practices, with both accounting for some of the variation seen in the data. We conclude by pointing out blind spots around technological dependency, sustainable AI, and inequalities in current AI guidelines and providing directions for further research.

Transforming the value chain of local journalism with artificial intelligence

“…Beckett and Yaseen (2023) also acknowledge this challenge: "For journalists, the central question is, how do we integrate AI technologies in journalism while upholding journalistic values like accuracy, fairness, accountability, and transparency" (p. 39). To provide orientation, news organizations (Becker, Simon, and Crum 2023), journalism associations (Deutscher Journalisten-Verband 2023), and international journalism organizations such as Reporters Without Borders (2023) have set out to develop ethical guidelines for AI.…”

Misinformation reloaded? Fears about the impact of generative AI on misinformation are overblown

“…People with low online literacy will likely be misled by some of these tools, but we do not see a clear route for the mistakes that generative AI makes, in the hands of well-intentioned users, to spread and create a significant risk for society. Similarly, the risk of factually inaccurate information accidentally appearing in news content as news media increasingly make use of generative AI (Hanley & Durumeric, 2023) will plausibly be curtailed by publishers' efforts to control the use of the technology in news production and distribution (Arguedas & Simon, 2023;Becker et al, 2023), although failure on the part of publishers to implement such measures or a fundamental lack of awareness regarding the issue remain a concern.…”