Manager at Associated Press Tells Journalists That Resistance to AI Is Futile

"Because local newsrooms are so strapped, they are turning for assistance on the news making process in every direction. Advance Publications got there first, others will follow. Resistance is futile. There are many - and I mean MANY - editors who would prefer an AI-written article to a human-written one."

"Reporting and writing are two different skill sets and rare - RARE - is the occasion when it's wrapped into one person. The dismissiveness and disdain some of you have shown for human writing are insulting and abhorrent. Strong reporting and clear writing are the lifeblood of journalism."

An Associated Press product manager for AI strategy, Aimee Rinehart, publicly advocated for widespread AI integration in newsrooms through internal communications, declaring that resistance to automation is futile. Her comments were prompted by The Plain Dealer's controversial use of an AI rewrite specialist to convert reporter notes into finished articles, which caused an intern to withdraw from a fellowship. Rinehart claimed editors prefer AI-written articles to human-written ones and argued that reporting and writing are separate skills rarely combined in one person. Her dismissive stance toward human journalism sparked significant internal opposition from AP reporters who criticized the disdain shown toward human writing and its importance to journalism.

Read at Futurism