Inspiration often arises from the most surprising sources. I stumbled upon this article, and it truly made me reflect, especially considering how the newspaper industry has been struggling to survive for the past decade. Deep down, I firmly believe that quality journalism remains essential.
We need people dedicated to objectively looking at all sides of story and helping us see and understand other perspectives. We need people that will ask hard questions and seek truth among a sea of deception. We need people advocate for the overlooked, the oppressed, and the marginalized souls in our world. And, people to surface the stories that challenge us, celebrate achievement and inspire us to reach our potential.
National news outlets and the brief segments of local TV news just cannot reach that deep or commit themselves to something that is so small in the big sea of issues around the globe. But our local journalists, the ones that celebrate and expose the best and worst in us so that we can strive to be better to each other, we need those dedicated people. So good on the newspaper group in Cape Girardeau, Missouri for finding a harmonious way to use Ai to make news more substantial, impactful, and manageable for their staff to explore.
It is becoming increasingly evident that one of the greatest advantages of AI lies in its capability to sift through vast amounts of information, whether from decades past or the most obscure sources. And, it’s ability to correlate and contrast information is encouraging. This ability allows us to discover insights we might have otherwise overlooked, using that knowledge to enhance our service to one another.
Crazy idea (probably already in the works): take the whole Library of Congress or police records and apply this same tech. Imagine the potential outcomes: how many additional crimes could we solve? How many outdated laws could we abolish? What new instances of crime or corruption might we expose?
In the real estate industry, how could this help us be more efficient and reduce barriers to homeownership and housing issues? Clearly, a deeper knowledgebase and valuable lessons learned, could page the way for greater innovation. Ah, but I dream.
Here’s the article that got me thinking. It’s subtle but important because it’s giving new life to old concepts…and well worth the read. I hope it sparks something in you too:
A leap forward for AI in journalism from an unexpected place — small-town Missouri
Public-facing AI innovation has largely remained in the domain of Silicon Valley. But more than 2,000 miles away in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a family-owned network of news outlets seems determined to prove that it isn’t too late for local journalism to take charge of its digital destiny.
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