A recent report from the Poynter Institute underscores a survey by The Associated Press (AP) revealing that nearly 70% of newsroom staff utilize generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their story-writing process. This usage ranges from transcribing interviews to crafting headlines and drafting stories, with one-fifth of respondents using AI to generate graphics and videos.

"News people have stayed on top of this conversation, which is good because this technology is already presenting significant disruptions to how journalists and newsrooms approach their work and we need everyone to help us figure this technology out for the industry," said Aimee Rinehart, co-author of the study and senior product manager of AI strategy at the AP, as quoted in the report.

The AP's survey encompassed 292 staffers from legacy media, public broadcasters, and magazines primarily based in the United States or Europe. According to the report, over 30% of those surveyed work in newsrooms with more than 100 editorial employees.

The survey also unveiled that less than half of respondents have guidelines about the use of generative AI in their newsrooms. Roughly 60% were aware of some guidelines. "…(T)here was also mention of using their gut feeling to evaluate responsible use," said Hannes Cools, assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam and co-author of the study. He expressed surprise at this finding, stating in an email to Poynter: "This was quite surprising to me still, as we might not want to trust our gut feeling for judging what is ethical use."

The report further highlighted that 54% of newsroom employees indicated they would consider allowing AI companies to train their models using their content. A mere 7% of staffers expressed concerns about being replaced by AI.