AI Cannot Replace Human Journalism, News Corp CEO Says
Robert Thomson, chief executive officer of the major U.S. media company News Corp, said in a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun that AI cannot replicate human reporting.
News Corp's chief executive, Robert Thomson, asserts that AI cannot match the quality of human journalism. The rapid proliferation of generative AI has led to an overflow of inaccurate and unverified information online, prompting Thomson to highlight the growing importance of human-driven reporting. As the CEO of a major U.S. media company, he emphasized that AI serves as a distribution network, repurposing existing content, rather than creating new insights.
Thomson emphasized that journalists are tasked with capturing the present and shaping the first version of history, a function AI cannot fulfill. He also stressed that human-verified content is crucial for training and maintaining AI models, making human-driven journalism more indispensable than ever. When it comes to AI's role in newsrooms, Thomson stressed that a "human in the loop" is essential, with AI excelling in background research but leaving the creation and evaluation of content to human reporters.
While AI operates based on linear patterns, humans possess the capacity for lateral thinking and creative idea generation. Thomson criticized AI companies for amassing vast resources for hardware and data centers while neglecting to fairly compensate content creators, arguing that in the long run, low-quality content is detrimental to AI development.
He called for a shift in the relationship between content creators and tech firms. News Corp's approach to content use involves a combination of dialogue and legal action, such as licensing agreements with companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google, while battling those that misappropriate its journalism without permission. Thomson warned that failing to protect provenance would damage journalism and society, as it undermines culture and human understanding.
As the CEO of News Corp, Thomson has extensive experience as a reporter and editor before assuming his current role in 2013, and he is an Australian national.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
