Revisiting the Algorithms Behind the Headlines. How Journalists Respond to Professional Competition of Generative AI

Abstract

ABSTRACT Due to its ability to process and create human-like texts, Generative AI such as ChatGPT is a potential game changer in news making. This paper re-examines central research areas that were analyzed around the emergence of earlier versions of automated news writing in the 2012 article The Algorithms behind the Headlines. The current paper employs a sociology of professions- and boundary work- perspective to understand how journalists (re)assert their professional authority in the face of Generative AI. An analysis of metajournalistic discourse where journalists reflect on their profession in the light of ChatGPT’s launch shows that journalists saw Generative AI as a larger threat to their profession than previous forms of automated news writing. They strongly defended their authoritative position over the societal task of information provision, either by reaffirming journalists as a professional collective, or by focusing on journalists as individuals with a unique tone of voice. While rejecting the idea of algorithmic objectivity, humanness served as a shortcut for originality. Journalists argued that they should remain firmly in the loop when Generative AI is integrated in news making. The new technical possibilities of Generative AI were not accommodated in the journalistic profession by broadening the understanding of journalism.