Exo Journalism: A Conceptual Approach to a Hybrid Formula between Journalism and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The irruption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated technology has substantially changed the journalistic profession, transforming the way of capturing, processing, generating, and distributing information; empowering the work of journalists by modifying the routines and knowledge required by information professionals. This study, which conceptualizes the “exo journalism” on the basis of the impact of AI on the journalism industry, is part of a research project of the Observatory for Information Innovation in the Digital Society (OI2). The results, derived from documentary research supported by case studies and in-depth interviews, propose that AI is a source of innovation and personalization of journalistic content and that it can contribute to the improvement of professional practice, allowing the emergence of a kind of "exo journalist", a conceptual proposal that connects the possibilities of AI with the needs of journalism’s own productive routines. The end result is the enhancement of the journalist’s skills and the improvement of the news product. The research focuses on conceptualizing a kind of support and complement for journalists in the performance of their tasks based on the possibilities of AI in the automatic generation of content and data verification.

Keywords

• artificial intelligence
• journalism
• innovation
• automation