The Independent is to launch a news service which it said will use Google AI tools to summarise its journalism for “time-poor audiences”.
The publisher says all content written for the service, named Bulletin, will be “reviewed and checked” by journalists before publication and seven people have been hired to staff it.
Bulletin will go live at the end of the month at the web address bulletin.news and will initially be sponsored by the Rio Ferdinand-backed social media network WeAre8. The Independent will produce exclusive content for WeAre8 as part of the partnership.
The service will use Google‘s Gemini AI model to re-write the Independent’s own articles, the publisher said, alongside its own “in-house data and development teams”.
The Independent told Press Gazette the summaries will be no longer than 140 words long and will rewrite content either written for The Independent or provided by news agencies.
Christian Broughton, the chief executive of The Independent, said: “We believe journalists should be the people to work out the best uses of AI in newsrooms. Our journalists wanted to ensure they are always in control of the process, so they worked through the workflows and tech implementation themselves, and they wanted to serve our audience’s desire for trusted, essential briefings.
“That need has become more acute, whether from long working hours, busy family life, or all kinds of other reasons. Bulletin, as a concept, was first discussed a decade ago, and now it is possible by working with technology.
“Whenever readers want to go deeper, they can click through to The Independent’s in-depth news, podcasts, newsletters and documentaries. Because we are efficient, we also have more time to go deeper into key subjects and to do more of what only our human team can do best.”
Local publishing giant Newsquest already employs “AI-assisted reporters” who put press releases into an AI chatbot and are then tasked with checking the technology has not introduced factual errors or changes to quotes. Daily Mirror and Manchester Evening News parent Reach, similarly, has a company-wide tool named Guten which staff are encouraged to use to quickly rewrite or “rip” content from other Reach websites. Reach also uses AI to rewrite and localise weather reports.
Broughton said last year following the release of the company’s accounts that The Independent had partnered with Google for product development integrating Gemini, which at that point had resulted in additional language services for the brand.
Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig said Bulletin would “have focus and act as a brilliant shorthand to our agenda-shaping journalism”.
“As the first fully digital news brand in the UK, we lead again by now helping to pioneer what is a fact of life in 21st century information, the use of AI in journalism…
“We embrace the opportunity to find a way to provide what our readers want: authoritative, quick, brief, engaging journalism as a supplement to what we also provide.”
Partner company WeAre8 shares its advertising revenue with users and allows them to donate the money to charity. Its chief executive, Zoe Kalar, said: “In a world where the stories that matter are getting lost to algorithms, journalists are being trolled, people are scared to ask questions, and misinformation thrives – we are radically reinventing and reimagining news on social media…
“Through WeAre8’s healthy algorithms that enable people to see everyone they follow, an AI engine that eliminates abuse, links out from every post back to the publisher websites, and shared economics, we transform the news experience as we know it.”
The claim that AI will free journalists up to do more original work and fewer formulaic rewrites was challenged recently by a former Independent editor, Chris Blackhurst, who said: “Maybe I’m bitter and disheartened, but I’m not sure that proprietors and business models will be freeing people up. They might be freeing people up to work elsewhere, but they won’t be freeing them up to do quality journalism.”
The Independent grew its operating profit 82% to £3.5m in 2023, the most recent year for which figures are available (although this covered a 15-month period). Last year the publisher took over the Buzzfeed and Huffpost brands in the UK as part of a multi-year licensing deal.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
