Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Times said Monday it was adding AI-generated counter-arguments to opinion pieces to help readers grasp differing points of view. The move comes as the Times struggles with plunging readership and heavy financial losses that have led to heavy job cuts. It also comes as some media owners seek greater control over their outlets’ coverage as President Donald Trump’s administration turns the screws on what it sees as unfavorable reporting.
In a letter to readers, owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said every article containing any kind of opinion would now be labelled “Voices” to “ensure readers can readily distinguish” it from news reporting. “Voices is not strictly limited to Opinion section content,” Soon-Shiong wrote. “It also includes news commentary, criticism, reviews, and more. If a piece takes a stance or is written from a personal perspective, it may be labeled Voices.”
Computer-generated “Insights” will be appended to some of that content, identifying where on the political spectrum the view sits, he said. “The purpose of Insights is to offer readers an instantly accessible way to see a wide range of different AI-enabled perspectives alongside the positions presented in the article. I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation.”
Readers soon weighed in with their own opinions on the idea, with the comments section of the article overwhelmingly negative about the initiative. “Readers don’t read the paper for AI written summaries. We can find that for free online. Just hire good journalists instead,” wrote self-described “longtime subscriber-reader” bkshyrock+1. “I pay cash to read well-reported stories written by, wait for it, humans. I don’t want this artificial slop anywhere near my journalism,” wrote pnukayapetra, adding: “Can we replace Soon-Shiong with AI instead?”
Other commenters linked the move to an announcement last week by the Washington Post’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, who said his paper would only publish opinion pieces in support of “personal liberties and free markets,” in what was widely interpreted as an effort to curry favor with Trump. “Welcome to Pravda on the Pacific,” quipped omt160, in reference to the official newspaper of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party. “Only those ideas approved by Dear Leader will be acceptable. Quite surprised that there is another fascist high-tech billionaire competing with Bezos for the title of Most Subservient Media Tool.”
The Times was once a giant on the US media stage, with correspondents around the globe. But years of retrenchments have seen it shrink, and last year mass layoffs further ruffled an already restless newsroom. Critics say the paper appears directionless, and while it still paints itself as a national title with a West Coast perspective, it has a much more parochial feel nowadays.
© 2024 AFP
