It turns out media companies are one step away from a cybernetic breakthrough in creativity. Yes Yes. Experiments with automating the process of creating texts for Internet sites are no longer a myth, but a reality.
Robot Journalists: Myth or Reality?
in The network has information that media professionals are using automated systems for creating content composed of external data. That is, certain data is loaded into the program, and it, in turn, generates texts according to the developed algorithms. Till that this is uncomplicated content that does not require copyright participation. But the experimenter does not stop at this and set themselves more than global tasks - to improve the "cyborg journalists."
in in the light of such prospects, it is not out of place to think about the ethical aspect a question. Sooner or later, the owners of such systems will have to to face practical issues and principles of journalistic ethics. Consider the main points.
Who is the source?
Editions, on which robots work, they must regulate, first of all, a question of the source of external data. This refers to their accuracy and reliability. It is necessary to clearly determine from which services and companies the data You can take it boldly, and with which you should be careful. For example, data press services can be considered reinforced concrete, but information from simple Web users, it is better to filter.
Rights to use information
little identify reliable and unreliable sources, it is worth considering over the right to use the data received on the Web. Are there any rights dissemination of information at your source, and what conditions use of data received from it: editing, publication on platforms.
Versatility of text templates
alone and the same data can be interpreted in different ways. In this case, it is necessary adapt the system to various forms of composing texts. Proposals should not be formulated for more than one algorithm, but at least a few.
The consumer of your content must know that he is reading a product created by the robot
Worth be honest with your readers and respect their right - Know what content they consume. It’s right to notify users that they are provided with a tex created by the system, and inanimate person. Perhaps this will even be the highlight of your media and will attract other progressive readers.
No one has canceled the style issue
System - This, of course, is good, but here's how to deal with the general style of your portal? After all, before robots, ordinary people worked on creating content authors who could adapt texts to general stylistic canons of your publication. But will cyborgs cope with this task? Will not Do their work get out of the picture?
Could it hurt you?
Inanimate the system has the right to make a mistake. Creativity is too complicated for activity of robots. The edges of perception are very thin in this matter, emotions, information processing. Literary genres, images, metaphors, hints and allegories may not be programmed to the teeth to writers. And this leads to inaccuracies and oversights that can cause criticism from readers. Are you ready to answer for misses automated workers?
Is the game worth the candle?
for publications created by robots should in any case the control. Therefore, if you pursue the goal of saving labor resources, then you can get into trouble. Anyway, any texts should be checked editors to avoid duplication of possible errors. That's it turns out that in the state units should still be provided, serving and monitoring cybernetic journalists. Completely entrusting the creative process to robots, without human intervention, is recklessly.
Problem of illustrating content
Any content on the site should be accompanied by a picture or video. Who will take over this function? Of course, you can program the system on search for multimedia materials by given keys, but where is the guarantee, that these materials will be 100% relevant and consistent with the mood and the meaning of the publication?
Cyborg Menu
not you need to have a deep knowledge of programming to assume that robots are machines whose functions menu is strictly limited number of actions and settings. Before you decide on inanimate writer on your staff, lobby the menu issue of his abilities. You must have a clear understanding of which texts format and structure your robot recognizes and perceives. Is it enough this menu to fully work with the content of your site?
Robots are the future?
Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, smart heads still adapt Robot journalists for creative criteria of journalism. Portals Coming Soon full of automatically generated texts. But is society ready consume inanimate product? And who will take responsibility for the content of robotic content? Who then can politicians blame bias and whose "impartiality" we will doubt? Will soulless content be so interesting? Maybe depriving texts of the soul, will we lose something more important and interesting? Maybe in personal approach to creating content is its highlight?
Read more about our existing business here.