Journalism is on the brink. AI is the second punch that kills it.

I asked ChatGPT, a popular AI app, to answer this question: Can journalism survive AI?

The reason I gave it this task is because of a rather depressing report that just came out from the Brookings Institute on that very question.

Brookings, a think tank out of Washington, D.C., concluded that the domination of such things as search, advertising and data have “decimated” the journalism industry. Artificial intelligence is the second punch that could kill journalism if the organizations that produce it can’t adapt.

In response to my inquiry, ChatGPT argued: “While AI can automate certain aspects of the news-gathering process, it cannot replicate the creativity and intuition that drive groundbreaking investigative journalism. Uncovering corruption, exposing injustice and giving voice to marginalized communities require human reporters to delve deep into stories, connect with sources and unearth truths that may be hidden beneath the surface.”

It concluded: ”AI can complement journalism, but it cannot replace it.”

So even AI acknowledges that it can’t replace journalism.

Can an algorithm act as a watchdog?

If AI could replace journalism, then the only thing we’d need to worry about is that the journalists who make their livelihood reporting news and digging out corruption and malfeasance would have to find another line of work.

And really, the beauty of a robot reporting corruption is that it is difficult to kidnap a robot or threaten its family — the types of intimidation faced by hundreds of journalists trying to do their job around the world.

You could imagine some powerful world leader threatening Mark Zuckerberg’s life or family and as a result some tinkering is subsequently made to the AI algorithm. But then the same thing could be happening now to the heads of news organizations who then subsequently pull back their journalists from various news beats. Since those news organizations are the ones who report news, would we ever know that was happening?

The reality is that artificial intelligence could kill journalism without replacing it, leaving people without information they can rely on. When there are no reliable, credible sources of news, rumors spread and take on a life of their own. People panic and riot and revolt based on fears born from misinformation. Lawlessness prevails.

Right now, entire news organizations are disappearing. The Brookings report found that last year some 2.5 local news outlets folded every week in the United States.

Data collected by researcher Amy Watson in August 2023 found that in the UK, each year over a 10-year period ending 2022, more news outlets closed than were launched. CNN reported in June 2023 that Germany’s biggest news organization, Bild, was laying off 20% of its employees, replacing them with artificial intelligence.