There are two types of people in this world: those who have accepted and benefited from the use of artificial intelligence, and those who have not. The first group is growing rapidly. The second group may soon find itself unemployed.
Those are difficult truths we are beginning to experience firsthand. I have attended multiple conferences and training sessions on artificial intelligence recently, and whether we like it or not, it is here. Ignoring it is not the answer. Learning how to use it properly is.
Like many in the journalism industry, we are cautiously experimenting with artificial intelligence — not to write stories, but to assist in editing them. The platforms do an impressive job of editing stories to Associated Press style while correcting grammatical errors and improving sentence structure.
I resisted this technology and avoided it until, like many of you, I experimented with it myself. When used properly, it is remarkable. The key word is properly.
We have more than 50 writers who submit varying amounts of work to us. Their work is strong, and artificial intelligence cannot replace what they do in interviewing sources, identifying important news and providing commentary. I would not replace them for anything.
Some of our writers are skilled journalists whose work requires very little editing. Others may not have the same technical skills, but they have a strong sense for the stories we want and the ability to connect with people. In those cases, stories sometimes require substantial editing for style and structure. Artificial intelligence has been a major time-saver and has caught many errors we missed.
We are not only experimenting with artificial intelligence ourselves, but we are also encouraging our writers to do the same — again, not to produce copy, but to properly edit and format it. Of course, all stories are reviewed by humans before pages are sent to the printer, and that will not change. We are not perfect, but we strive to improve and will continue looking for ways to do so.
Using artificial intelligence to edit copy for style is one thing. Using it to create artwork, graphs and charts also can also be impressive. Altering news photos or videos, however, is clearly unacceptable. I find that not only disturbing but deliberately misleading. The examples we continue to see on social media are disheartening. I assure you we will not be doing that in any way.
Like many of you, we will continue to experiment with artificial intelligence and continue to learn. We will make mistakes, and we will learn from them — much like artificial intelligence itself. Meanwhile, as long as I remain at the helm, our commitment to local news coverage written by local journalists — and our commitment to you — will not change.
Have a memorable Monday, and thanks for reading. | 
