According to Mediaweek, Michael Miller, News Corp Australia's executive chair, told the World News Media Congress in Taipei that a unit of 4 employees, Data Local,  is using AI technology to create thousands of local reports on weather, gasoline prices, and traffic conditions.

Data Local is led by News Corp's data journalism editor Peter Judd, and many of the pieces carry his byline.

Read next: How AI is re-shaping workers' daily lives: BBC

The unit supplies reporter content for the firm's 75 "hyper-local" mastheads around the nation, including Penrith, Lismore, Fairfield, Bundaberg, and Cairns.

A NewsCorp. spokesperson stated that stories such as "Where to find the cheapest fuel in Penrith" are developed using AI but monitored by humans, something undisclosed on its website. 

The spokesperson detailed that this includes "automation to update local fuel prices several times daily as well as daily court lists, traffic and weather, death and funeral notices,” and "all such information and decisions are overseen by working journalists from the Data Local team.”

A World Association of News Publishers survey indicated that most new subscribers start with local news and then go on to national and international news as well as lifestyle information, stated Miller.

A Newscorp executive highlighted that hyperlocal mastheads drive 55% of all subscriptions, launching 24 in recent years.

In 2020, 112 of Rupert Murdoch's print publications ceased publication, with 36 closing entirely. However, several stayed digital-only, and the business has subsequently released numerous more local digital-only titles.

Read more: Vienna newspaper publishes final edition after 320 years

The titles are normally operated by a single journalist and are located in areas with a population of 15,000 or more people.

Related News

US judge dismisses authors' lawsuit against Meta over AI training

AI poses direct threat to UK film industry, warns BFI report

“If that single journalist can generate seven new subscriptions a week, then their salary is covered,” Miller stated.

 “They are in progressive communities with active sporting, political, business, and tourism interests and lower social media engagement.”

Recently, the corporation had an advertisement for a data journalist who would be responsible for “automated content to build a proposition and pipeline for revenue."

According to the ABC News, it is focusing on AI applications that have the potential to improve content accessibility such as "transcription of our audio content, text-to-speech delivery of articles using AI voice and translation, as well as recommendations and personalization."

A spokesperson for the company stated that it has been “carefully evaluating the possible uses of AI for some time" and "testing ways AI might enhance our public interest journalism and make our content accessible to more Australians.”

Google testing AI called 'Genesis' to replace news, article writing

Days ago, sources familiar with the matter reported that Google is conducting a test that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to produce news pieces and has already pitched the idea to news organizations including the owners of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, News Corp.

Internally known by the working title 'Genesis', the product can receive information on current events for instance, and generate news content, per the voluntarily-anonymous sources. 

One of the three sources said that Google thinks this could serve as a personal assistant for journalists, by automating tasks to create more free up time and that Google regards it as responsible technology able to steer the publishing industry away from the dangers of generative AI. 

However, some executives described the pitch as unsettling and two individuals claimed it takes the creative and accurate news generating effort put in by journalists for granted.

Google spokesperson Jenn Crider released a statement that “in partnership with news publishers, especially smaller publishers, we’re in the earliest stages of exploring ideas to potentially provide A.I.-enabled tools to help their journalists with their work.”

Others, including The Associated Press have used AI previously to generate news about issues such as corporate earnings reports. Meanwhile, Google chatbot, Bard, presents factual assertions that are sometimes incorrect.

Google and other major AI firms have also been criticized for using decades of work worth of articles and posts to help train AI systems - but without compensating the original publishers. News organizations including NBC News and The Times have opposed AI's data usage without permission.