Michael Federle’s Post

We'll continue seeing media outlets suing AI companies for plagiarism until the "winning" AI platforms strike syndication deals with the publishers. Takeaway for us? Companies must proactively shape their narrative whether through their 'owned' platforms (blog, socials, website, ...), interviews with the media, or ideally both, as the way we search the internet transforms into AI-fueled experience. #communications #AI

“AI is only as good as the people overseeing it.” — Randall Lane, Chief Content Officer, Forbes Of all the benefits that #AI might catalyze, it also poses a significant risk to something that should be important to all of us: quality #journalism. I work with exceptional business journalists everyday (like Sarah Emerson, Richard Nieva and John Paczkowski) and I know how much they work to deliver investigations and insights to billions of people every year. When irresponsible #ArtificialIntelligence companies use technology to plagarize exceptional reporting and to undercut the (already fragile) economics of the news #media ecosystem, it’s not just the journalists that lose, it’s all of us that depend on them. My colleague Randall Lane does an excellent job of explaining why, and why Forbes is taking this issue so seriously. Read more here: #EthicalAI #AccountableAI #AccountableJournalism #ForbesImpactLab

If you’re interested in the potential and pitfalls of AI, this is a NB read which I came across via Casey Newton’s newsletter Platformer. The TL:DR (although please DO read the article) is that AI startup, Perplexity, has repurposed (or in the words of Forbe’s Chief Content Officer’ ‘plagiarised’) a Forbes article for their new product called Pages with zero attribution to the original article or journalists who researched and wrote it. In addition, it created an AI-generated podcast based on that same article and a YouTube video of that podcast which according to Forbes is outranking all Forbes’ content on the topic on Google. As someone excited by AI and interested in the opportunities for content production it offers, but concerned by the potential for side-stepping basic ethical practices like source attribution as well as the impact this kind of automated summarisation will have on media organisations and the journalists who work for them, I found this pretty sobering. Would love to hear what others think. Is it a worrying trend? Or early glitches in a technology which we're still wrapping our heads around?

Generative search is going to get more important, with more users getting their info from automatically generated content. This makes it crucial to solve the attribution problem, so every piece of text has a reference to where it originally came from. As generative AI becomes more common and more content on the internet is created from other sources, search engines need to do more than just find links to pages with reused content. They need to find the original sources that many pages use. The challenge of giving proper credit and citing original sources is becoming one of the biggest issues in search technology. This won't just be important for content from news media and journalism; it will be vital for any area  https://lnkd.in/g9wGtXmw

We focus a LOT on AI in education, but this type of AI use affects EVERYONE. A completely false tragedy and news story becomes viral and the offending organization remains silent and hides behind a small disclaimer (great question Rebecca Bultsma, APR - do they hope it absolves them?). The rise in false and fake news is alarming! #MediaLiteracy matters!

#TechThursdays 🌐 AI is in our newsrooms. While many media outlets are restricting access to AI tools like ChatGPT, The Washington Post is all about AI for content creation and news reporting as part of its recovery from major financial loss. 👩🏼💻 Using AI can streamline workflows, increase audience engagement, and maintain journalistic standards—if programmed and used correctly. But, how do we ensure ethical use in open societies? How do we protect against misuse and malpractice? Even worse, what are the consequences of AI misuse in totalitarian societies? 👩🏾💻 AI is here to stay, but so are the risks. Vigilance, regulation, and an evolving code of conduct are essential. Yet, journalists and other media professionals are even more important to ensure integrity and quality in news reporting. #AI #Journalism #Ethics #MediaTech https://lnkd.in/ex_g_HR7

⚠ Fake murder = more evidence of a much bigger AI disinformation problem. A news story with the headline "Christmas Day Tragedy Strikes Bridgeton, New Jersey Amid Rising Gun Violence in Small Towns," which gained traction on social media, has been debunked by police as "entirely false." Nothing even remotely similar occurred on or even around Christmas in Bridgton. It turns out the article in question wasn't written by a traditional journalist but was the creation of AI, published by NewsBreak. After its viral spread, the article has been pulled down, and NewsBreak remains silent in response to inquiries. No surprise there. A couple of crucial points and questions: 🔵 At the bottom of this AI-generated piece was a small yet significant note – "includes content assisted by AI tools." My question: Is this intended to act as a subtle disclaimer from the organization? A nudge to readers to question the accuracy of the information and double-check facts? In my mind, it's a fascinating intersection of ethics, technology, and reader responsibility. Where exactly are we supposed to go to fact-check the news? 🔵 The larger picture here paints a complex and, frankly, concerning scenario. With more and more stories about AI seeping into the realm of news creation, what does this mean for the future of media? In a world where we rely on news for updates on critical issues like elections, wars, and natural disasters, the rise of AI-generated fake news obviously poses a very significant challenge. How do we ensure the integrity of the information we consume? Tying back to the previous point - where exactly do we get accurate information these days? 🔵 One more thought-provoking tidbit: According to NewsGuard, the number of websites circulating false AI-created news stories has skyrocketed by over 1,000 percent in just seven months, from 49 to over 600. This statistic alone should scream the urgent need for vigilant media consumption and responsible AI use. But how exactly is that to be done for the average media consumer if we need to question every single thing we read? I'm curious about your thoughts on this 🤔  How do we navigate this new era of information, misinformation, disinformation and technology and still find the truth? What are your go-to trusted sources?👇 #AI #AIMedia #Misinformation #AINews Disclaimer: This image is an AI image generated by BoingBoing, not an actual newspaper (in case you couldn't tell from the spelling).

Hey everyone! As I begin work on my DCIM Capstone project, I am exploring the latest trends and advancements in the media industry. This project has been a fascinating dive into the dynamic nature of media in the digital realm. In parallel, the rapid advancements of artificial intelligence have transformed numerous industries. As AI continues to advance, so do the discussions regarding the implications and morality of its use, particularly when it comes to deceptive practices. Today, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed yet another bill for consideration, adding to the existing 65 AI-related bills in New York alone, criminalizing the deceptive use of AI. While New York does have the highest number of proposed bills, they are just one of over 40 states taking a stand against the unethical use of AI. Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/eJRCsiQ5 Deceptive and unethical AI has become a mainstream topic lately following the spread of malicious deepfakes of pop star Taylor Swift, and people are becoming more and more concerned with the capabilities of technology. Mary Anne Franks, president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, talked to Axios about the limited legal options for victims of these harmful AI-generated images. If the bill proposed by Gov. Hochul is passed, victims will gain the right to sue over digitally manipulated images. It is undeniable that something needs to be done, but crafting and enforcing regulations around AI will be challenging and full of nuance. As a digital communication, information, and media minor, I am interested to see how these new rules and regulations will impact marketing and public relations. The newest bill proposed in New York would make unauthorized uses of a person’s voice in connection with advertising punishable by up to one year in jail. This is limited to the state of New York, but may be the beginning of putting an end to falsified celebrity advertisements and endorsements that are becoming more and more common on social media platforms like TikTok and X. All in all, AI regulations have the potential to reshape marketing and PR practices by requiring more transparency, accountability, and fairness surrounding the use of AI technology. Marketers and PR professionals will need to stay informed and adapt their strategies accordingly to ensure legal compliance and ethical use of AI. As these bills make their way through the legislative process, it will be interesting to see how businesses and industries adapt to the new regulatory landscape. In addition, monitoring the consumer response to these changes is crucial as attitudes towards AI continue to evolve. We should strive for a delicate balance that fosters innovation while safeguarding against technological misuse. #DCIMCapstone

The lessons we're learning about AI-generated #content aren't far off from what we learned in grade school—don't steal the work of others. Simply using #GenAI content as your own is becoming its own form of plagiarism. Let's use AI responsibly—for ideation, inspiration, creativity, and suggestions. (Given the White House's new executive order, you'll enjoy the added bonus of not needing to watermark your work.)

Check out this #TELUSWise article to learn how to talk to kids about the ethics of deepfakes, the impact, and advice on how to counter justifications for sharing. #TeamTELUS