Welcome to the world of artificial intelligence at The Associated Press (AP), where cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing the way news is gathered, produced, and distributed. As one of the first news organizations to embrace AI, AP has successfully leveraged machine learning to enhance its core news report. From automating the creation of text stories to transcribing videos in real time, AP is pushing the boundaries of innovation to deliver faster, more accurate, and more tailored news content to its customers. Join us on this journey as we explore the transformative power of AI and its impact on the world of journalism.
Artificial intelligence at The Associated Press
Innovative at the core
The Associated Press (AP) has been at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to enhance its news report. As early as 2014, AP began using machine learning to automate stories about corporate earnings. This not only saved valuable resources but also paved the way for more impactful journalism. AP’s innovative approach to AI has allowed them to experiment with new projects and establish themselves as a thought leader in the industry.
AI Strategy
AP’s strategy with AI is to incorporate it into every aspect of their news processes, from news gathering to production and distribution. By deploying various AI tools and technologies, AP aims to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and ultimately deliver high-quality news to their customers.
Newsgathering
Working with startup partners
AP believes in collaborating with startup partners to harness external innovation and bring new AI projects to life. By working with startups, AP not only benefits from low-cost experimentation with emerging technologies but also supports the entrepreneurial news ecosystem.
Scanning and analyzing social media feeds
AP utilizes AI to scan and analyze social media feeds. By leveraging natural language processing, AP’s journalists can quickly gather information and verify user-generated content. This helps AP break news faster and provide more accurate coverage.
Building internal tools for verification
In addition to working with external partners, AP has also developed its own internal tools for verification. These tools enable AP journalists to verify social and user-generated content more efficiently, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of their reporting.
News production
Streamlining workflows
One of AP’s main objectives in news production is to streamline workflows. By using AI technologies, AP can automate various tasks, allowing journalists to focus on higher-order work. This not only increases productivity but also frees up resources for more important journalism.
Automatic transcription of video
To save time and resources, AP has implemented automatic transcription technology for videos. This AI-powered solution can transcribe videos in real-time, eliminating the need for manual transcription. AP is also exploring the integration of automatic translation to make videos more accessible to a global audience.
Automatic generation of video shot-lists and story summaries
AI is also being used to automatically generate video shot-lists and story summaries. By analyzing the content of videos, AI technologies can identify major figures, accurately time-stamp soundbites, and provide valuable information for editors and customers.
Automation in sports and corporate earnings stories
AP has successfully automated sports previews and game recaps using natural language generation. This has significantly increased the output of sports-related stories and improved coverage. Additionally, AP has automated stories about corporate earnings, allowing journalists to focus on more critical reporting.
News distribution
Optimizing content via image recognition
To optimize content delivery, AP is using image recognition software. This AI technology improves the keywords associated with AP’s photos, making it easier to find and recommend relevant images. This not only saves time but also enhances the overall user experience.
Creating an editorially-driven computer vision taxonomy
AP is developing the first editorially-driven computer vision taxonomy for the news industry. This tagging system will improve the organization and retrieval of images, saving valuable production time for editors and ensuring the right images are surfaced to customers.
Making content more accessible and easier to surface
By leveraging AI, AP aims to make its content more accessible and easier to surface. Through various AI-driven optimizations, AP can ensure its news reaches customers more efficiently and quickly. This includes enhancing metadata tagging, improving search algorithms, and utilizing AI technologies to recommend personalized content.
Startup partners
Infusing external innovation
AP actively collaborates with startup partners to bring external innovation into the organization. This collaboration enables AP to experiment with emerging technologies at a lower cost and support the growth of the entrepreneurial news ecosystem.
Experimenting with emerging tech
By working with startup partners, AP has the opportunity to experiment with emerging technologies. This allows them to stay at the forefront of innovation, explore new possibilities for AI in journalism, and shape the future of news production and distribution.
Ongoing projects
AP is continuously working on various AI projects to further enhance their news operations. Some of the ongoing projects include:
US local newsrooms
AP has distributed a scorecard to local news operations in the US to understand the current usage and application of AI technologies. Based on the results, AP has developed a report and designed an online course to share best practices and techniques on AI with local newsrooms. AP also plans to offer a consultancy program to further assist news operations in implementing AI.
Event detection
AP utilizes a tool from SAM, a social media solutions company, to detect newsworthy events through natural language processing of social media chatter. This tool helps AP track breaking news events more efficiently than manual monitoring, ensuring faster and more comprehensive coverage.
Automated stories
Since 2014, AP has been automating text stories using natural language generation. This technology allows AP to generate stories from structured sets of data, increasing output and liquidity. AP has applied this automation to corporate earnings and sports previews, providing timely and accurate coverage.
Real-time transcriptions
AP is using software from Trint, powered by machine learning, to transcribe videos in real-time. This significantly reduces the time spent creating transcriptions for broadcast videos. AP is also exploring the integration of automatic translation to make videos accessible to a broader audience.
AP story summaries
AP is exploring the use of summarization technology to automatically generate different versions of text stories. By creating short summaries of longer articles, AP can streamline the editorial process and ensure content is delivered in a variety of digital formats, catering to different user preferences.
Image recognition
AP is leveraging image recognition software to improve the keywords associated with their photos. This technology helps in organizing and recommending images, improving the overall search experience and saving production time for editors.
Automated shotlists
AP is implementing computer vision technology to identify major political and celebrity figures in videos. This technology streamlines the process of creating text “shotlists” for customers, providing a comprehensive guide to the content of news videos.
Reports
AP has produced reports to delve deeper into the use of AI in the news industry. These reports offer insights into the potential of AI and its impact on journalism. They cover topics such as using AI to produce news insights and provide guidance on incorporating AI into newsrooms.
AP also conducts webinars to educate newsrooms on using AI effectively. These webinars provide practical tips and techniques to maximize the benefits of AI technologies in news production and distribution.
The future of AI in journalism
AP recognizes the tremendous potential of AI in journalism and sees it as a driving force for innovation. As technology continues to evolve, AP is committed to staying ahead of the curve and exploring new ways to leverage AI in their news operations.
Conclusion
AP’s use of artificial intelligence has revolutionized their news production and distribution processes. From innovative newsgathering techniques to automated content generation and optimization, AP has embraced AI to deliver timely, accurate, and high-quality news to its customers. With ongoing projects and a commitment to stay at the forefront of technology, AP continues to shape the future of AI in journalism and make a significant impact on the news industry as a whole.
