The Council of Europe has adopted new guidelines for the responsible use of AI in journalism

The Council of Europe announced on December 29 that it will implement guidelines for the “responsible implementation” of artificial intelligence (AI) in journalistic activities.

The Council's Intergovernmental Panel on Media and the Information Society initially endorsed the guidelines issued on November 30 as a “significant contribution” to promoting a rule-based and human rights-respecting public communications sector.

“They provide practical guidance for relevant actors, especially news organizations, but also states, technology providers and digital platforms that distribute news, detailing how AI systems should be used to support journalistic production.”

The guide covers AI systems at different stages of journalism production, such as the initial decision to use AI and media organizations acquiring AI tools and incorporating them into the newsroom.

AI's impact on audiences and society is a significant aspect of the guidelines. Therefore, they also recommend responsibilities to be taken by technology providers, platforms and Member States.

The Council of Europe is based in Strasbourg, France and includes 46 European countries. Its aim is to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

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In the past year, as AI has emerged into mainstream public service, journalism has seen mixed reactions to the technology.

On the one hand, an entire newsroom staffed entirely by AI journalists has emerged from Channel 1's AI announcement that it will deliver personalized news to viewers by 2024.

German media giant Axel Springer announced in mid-December that it is partnering with OpenAI to integrate ChatGipt with journalism.

Meanwhile, traditional newsrooms have been grappling with copyright issues, with many accusing AI models of illegally training media companies' content. The most recent example is the New York Times' Dec. 27 lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for misusing its content in model training.

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