New York Times Approves AI Tools for Staff | News

The New York Times Embraces AI Tools

The New York Times has recently granted permission for its product and editorial teams to utilize AI tools. These tools have the potential to automate tasks such as crafting social media content, generating SEO headlines, and even writing code, as reported by Semafor.

Introduction of Echo

Staff members were informed of this development through an internal email. The announcement detailed the launch of a new internal AI summary tool named Echo.

AI Tools for Editorial and Product Development

Alongside Echo, The New York Times is providing access to a range of AI products. These resources are intended to support both the development of web products and the generation of editorial concepts.

Editorial guidelines accompanying the rollout encourage staff to leverage AI for tasks like suggesting edits to writing, formulating interview questions, and assisting with research efforts.

Usage Restrictions

However, employees have been cautioned against using AI to draft articles or make substantial revisions to existing content. Inputting confidential source information into AI systems is also prohibited.

Future Applications

The guidelines also indicate that The New York Times is exploring the use of AI to create digitally voiced articles and provide translations into multiple languages.

Approved AI Programs

According to Semafor, The Times has specified a list of AI programs that are approved for use. This includes:

• GitHub Copilot for coding assistance
• Google’s Vertex AI for product development
• NotebookLM
• Select Amazon AI products
• OpenAI’s API (non-ChatGPT) accessed through a business account

Ongoing Legal Dispute

This adoption of AI tools occurs while The New York Times is actively pursuing a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The suit alleges copyright infringement due to the use of the publisher’s content in training generative AI models.