Inaccuracies, blurbs exiting the building, and another AI deal

SEO greatness, a new social media site, and the UK and US opting out of an AI treaty - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 16:35, 13 February 2025

Corbidge comments on...tech distractions and real solutions
Even though AI is dominating the publishing world, its real-world impact remains limited. Our locked and loaded content guru shares his thoughts about predictions which fall short, accuracy issues, and augmenting human work rather than replacing it.
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Is AI dulling our critical thinking?
Everyone loves a little help from our friendly neighbourhood AI, but how much help is too much? A study by Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon found that heavy reliance on AI can reduce critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which raises questions of the long term effects of AI on human cognitive abilities. As with all things, users need to strike the right balance.
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Another AI deal
Following the footsteps of Associated Press and Axel Springer, the Scandinavian publisher Schibsted Media has signed a deal with OpenAI, this time to provide real-time news summaries, and improve accessibility and verification. Will it bring innovation and enhance news reporting through AI? Probably. Will it demand careful consideration and balance in integrating AI and maintaining editorial integrity? Definitely.
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Simon & Schuster kicks blurbs to the curb
Simon & Schuster boss Sean Manning has taken a bold stance by eliminating cover blurbs, the literary worlds arm-twisting of one author to say something nice about another author's new work, calling them time-wasting and unfair. While supposedly challenging the idea of leaning on the author's network more than it should, assume they will quickly be back if their removal shows negative impact with buyers.
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A few tips for SEO perfection
In his latest newsletter, SEO icon Barry Adams shares his insight on optimising news articles with a focus on Google's news platforms including Top Stories, Discover, Google News, and the News tab. A must-read!
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It's a no from the UK and US
The UK and US have opted out of signing the International AI treaty, which has been endorsed by several countries and promises an "open, ethical, and inclusive" approach to AI development. This turn of events highlights a widening philosophical rift regarding AI regulation, with shades of protectionism thrown in.
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Journalism's role in defending the truth
In a world rife with fake news, misinformation, and alternative facts, journalism plays a crucial role in safeguarding the truth. Annie Drobnic Holan of the International Fact-Checking Network highlights the vital importance of fact-checking and independent reporting, particularly as public scepticism grows and entertainment-driven content takes centre stage.
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BuzzFeed dives into social media with AI-powered platform
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced the creation of BF Island, a new AI-powered social media which, unlike others, will focus on positive content.
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BBC flags inaccuracies in AI News Summaries
A BBC study revealed that AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Copilot often gave inaccurate news summaries riddled with erroneous facts, dates and quotes. The findings continue to highlight the critical need for AI developers to prioritise accuracy and accountability as well the need for industry-wide accuracy standards.
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The ABCs of Google's news site ranking
Ever wondered how Google actually ranks news sites? Whether you should generate high-quality backlinks, have reputable sources, create helpful content or all of the above? Harry Clarkson-Bennet gives us some insight on how to properly feed the algorithm machine.
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Endless Wikipedia discovery, no algorithms
WikiTok, a site that allows the users to scroll through random Wikipedia articles in a TikTok style interface but without the pesky algorithms and tracking, offers a refreshing way to discover random knowledge and interesting facts.
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