Policy, regulation, and standards

Paris Charter on AI and Journalism, November 10, 2023. Ten principles to “uphold the right to information, champion independent journalism, and commit to trustworthy news and media outlets in the era of AI,” issued by a 32-member commission representing journalists from twenty countries, coordinated by Reporters Without Borders, and chaired by Maria Ressa, the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for journalism. The Charter’s principles include a call for journalists, journalism outlets, and support groups to “play an active role in the governance of AI systems.”

Remarkably, despite the Charter’s significance, it received nearly no news coverage beyond reports by signatory organizations. Among English-language outlets, only the Voice of America published an original report, while not a single national US news organization appears to have even mentioned the Paris Charter.

2023 Landscape: Confronting Tech Power, AINow, 2023. Overtly partisan in its commitment to “confront tech power,” AINow’s report makes clear that “nothing about artificial intelligence is inevitable.” Instead, the report makes the case that the development of AI technology concentrates economic and political power in the hands of the tech industry, with serious social, political, and economic impacts for society. One of the report’s four strategic priorities for action is algorithmic accountability, which includes roles for investigative journalists.

Generative AI in Journalism: The Evolution of Newswork and Ethics in a Generative Information Ecosystem, Nicholas Diakopoulos, et al., AI, Media and Democracy Lab and Associated Press, April 2024. Based on a survey of nearly 300 news editors, executives, and reporters from North America and around the world, the authors report on how news organizations are addressing the practical and ethical issues involved in using generative AI responsibly.

AI Risk Repository: A comprehensive database of risks from AI systems, MIT, August 2024. Although not specifically focused on journalism, MIT’s living database of more than 700 documented AI risks, categorized by their causes and domains, is a vital resource for journalists covering the latest developments in AI technology. The site provides an accessible overview of what its developers call the “AI risk landscape” and they consistently update it to include the latest research. Follow this link for a two-minute introduction to the database.