A tool that uses AI to generate news stories is being tested by Google.

Known by the working title Genesis, the technology has been pitched to The New York Times, The Washington Post and News Corp., according to The New York Times. 

In partnership with news publishers, “especially smaller publishers, we’re in the earliest stages of exploring ideas to potentially provide A.I.-enabled tools to help their journalists with their work,” said Jenn Crider, a Google spokesperson, according to the Times.  

It is not clear if any of the publications are nibbling. 
A News Corp spokesman said, “We have an excellent relationship with Google, and we appreciate Sundar Pichai’s long-term commitment to journalism,” according to the Times. 

Genesis could serve as a personal assistant for journalists, freeing them up from some manual tasks, but many could find the prospect disquieting from two perspectives:

• Job security.
  
• Journalistic standards.  

While some might see Genesis only as an automation assistant, it could conceivably be used by  companies seeking to reduce newsroom staffs.

Crider added, “Quite simply, these tools are not intended to, and cannot, replace the essential role journalists have in reporting, creating and fact-checking their articles,” according to the Times. “Instead, they could provide options for headlines and other writing styles.

The development occurs as publishers demand compensation for use of their content in links and to train AI systems. 

Earlier this week, the Associated Press and Open AI announced they are collaborating to share access to news content and examine potential use cases for generative AI. Under the arrangement, OpenAI will license part of AP’s text archive, while AP will make use of OpenAI’s technology and product expertise.