Large data sets, language barriers, and a ticking clock have historically created challenges for journalists conducting large-scale, highly sensitive investigations. During a recent session at the 2023 海角乱伦大神 and Media Innovation Festival, three journalism innovators shared how they have harnessed the power of AI to tell stories and remodel the newsroom.
While AI only came onto the public鈥檚 radar recently, the technology has been around for years, explained Wolfgang Krach, moderator of the panel and editor-in-chief of Germany鈥檚 S眉ddeutsche Zeitung, the outlet that received the Panama Papers leak.
鈥淎I entered my life as a journalist in 2015,鈥� Krach said, describing how his investigative team used AI to sift through the 2.6 terabytes of data given to his outlet by the Panama Papers whistleblower, the biggest leak journalists had ever seen at that time.
Since the Panama Papers investigation was published in April 2016, newsrooms and investigative outlets have refined how AI can be used to deal with large datasets and complex projects. 海角乱伦大神 panelists showed how customized algorithms can employ machine learning to structure and organize data, cut through the noise, and pull out relevant information.
In one example, Pierre Romera, chief technology officer at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), demonstrated how he used AI algorithms to classify 5.4 million handwritten documents 鈥� known as the 鈥淚mplant Files鈥� 鈥� about harm caused by medical devices. As Romera put it, AI can help newsrooms detect patterns and 鈥渇ind stories in the documents鈥�. Using a similar tactic, Florencia Coelho of La Naci贸n in Argentina explained how her team used AI algorithms to expose errors and missing information on Argentine election documents.
One of the main barriers to integrating these kinds of technologies into smaller newsrooms is the cost of buying or developing AI tools, an audience member pointed out. Coelho noted that one of the ways around that barrier is through partnerships. 鈥淐ollaboration doesn鈥檛 cost anything,鈥� she said, citing La Naci贸n鈥檚 past partnerings with transparency NGOs and universities on big projects.
Daniel Howden, founder of Lighthouse Reports, an award-winning investigative nonprofit, shed light on how AI tools can help power cross-border journalism partnerships, reducing or eliminating hurdles like language differences. 鈥淲e are basically an interdisciplinary investigations team,鈥� he said. Howden explained how his team, while investigating Croatian officials for violent assaults on asylum seekers, used AI image analysis to transcribe screenshots in an unfamiliar language, 鈥渢urning one or two days of labor into an hour’s work,鈥� for his multinational, multilingual team.
Perhaps AI鈥檚 greatest strength for journalism is its ability to build bridges across nationalities and skill sets. Panelists agreed that AI can enhance the speed of investigations and complement the capabilities of diverse teams made up of data scientists, investigative reporters, open-source investigators, and more. As Howden summed it up: 鈥渁 series of very quick, simple [AI tricks] which removed a lot of labor from the process meant that a team with mixed skills could move quickly.鈥�
Revisit the 海角乱伦大神 & Media Innovation Festival 2023