AP’s local news AI initiative

Building tools and training newsrooms

AP’s Local News AI helps local newsrooms to identify and adopt artificial intelligence-based solutions. The program’s most-recent survey “Generative AI in Journalism: The Evolution of Newswork and Ethics in a Generative Information Ecosystem,” includes responses from almost 300 news professionals to better understand generative AI and its use in the field of journalism.
In 2021, Local News AI surveyed U.S. local newsrooms on AI readiness, published a report of the findings and created a six-unit course to teach to knowledge interests in AI and news. The program also developed five projects with newsrooms that use AI. The first two years of the Local News AI initiative was made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Narrowing the technology gap between national and local newsrooms

AP worked with five newsrooms and university development teams at Northwestern University, Stanford University, and the University of Missouri to build these projects. The code base is available for use for free when indicated at AP’s GitHub repository, click the relevant blurbs below to access.

Introduction

AP’s Aimee Rinehart and Ernest Kung provide an overview of the five projects and two years of work on the Local News AI initiative.

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Brainerd Dispatch (Minn.)

Automated writing of public safety incidents into the content management system.

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El Vocero de Puerto Rico

Publication of Spanish-language news alerts using National Weather Service data in English.

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KSAT-TV (Texas)

Automated transcription of recorded videos and summarizing the transcripts to create an article’s initial framework.

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Michigan Radio

Rebuilt the core of the Minutes application, which creates transcripts of city council meetings, along with adding keyword-based reporter alerts

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WFMZ-TV (Pa.)

Sorting of event pitches received via email and automatically populating them into the coverage planner.

How AI can help your newsroom

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Assess your newsroom

Learn how your newsroom stacks up against other local U.S. operations for AI. The scorecard covers all facets of news operations, including newsgathering, production, distribution and business operations.

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AP staffers enter the AP headquarters newsroom at 450 W. 33rd St. in New York, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. (AP Corporate Communications)

Read the report

AP published a report with insights shared by almost 200 local news operations from across the U.S. The report combines scorecard results and interviews to provide a glimpse into what is happening locally when it comes to technology.

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Webinars

Our latest webinars

Reporting on AI

There are many benefits for local newsrooms to implement tools that include automation and AI, however there are also complexities and risks inherent with tools that include AI. Below are links to recent AP investigations on how AI impacts society.