An article on his 30th anniversary in journalism was recently written by Frank Stach, a journalist on the German WDR network. An additional timely reason for the article was his departure from a managing position of the German Association of Journalists (DJV), which he held for ten whole years.

Wanting to experiment with artificial intelligence, Stach initially commissioned the writing of the article in Chatgpt. The result surprised him positively, but the final impression was rather negative. The text was composed, with no editorial or spelling errors. But it did not have the personal framework of reference and the emotional proximity that one would expect from a life report. It was reminiscent of a text written by a diligent student or even an excellent knowledge of a foreign language, who can be clearly expressed and avoided serious mistakes, but often ignores the fine shades, the implications, the spectrum of emotions. Eventually the experienced journalist preferred to write his own report.

We can see the glass half empty. And to be pessimistic, considering that it is merely a matter of time to improve artificial intelligence to replace man in such a complex function as art and (serious) journalism. But we can also see the glass half full. Let us be optimistic that artificial intelligence will never be able to express, respond, feel and feel like man.

Everything is judged by the data

Really, how does artificial intelligence see the glass? He doesn’t see it. Do a little exercise and command the chatgpt to illustrate “a full glass of wine”. It will probably show a colonial glass full of one -third, as the rules of Food Photography dictate. You can, of course, insist: “I want to show me a glass full of and not just half -full.”

Probably the chatgpt will again send a photo with a half -full glass. Artificial intelligence will never admit that he “does not know” or “cannot” answer, he thinks he knows everything (and in this sense he really resembles some, fortunately few, colleagues in the journalistic “Symphony” …)

In this case it appears that artificial intelligence is not capable of identifying a “full glass” in the databases it is running. Maybe because there is not even such a photo. Here is one of the imperfections of the system. The pessimists insist that these are temporary imperfections, which will easily be corrected. After all, a top priority for those experimenting with this field is to increase the volume of data that artificial intelligence is already processing at stunning speed.

A profession that (not) disappears

The forecasts of the extinction of journalism is nothing new. In his own account of 30 years, early in the year, Financial Times commentator Simon Coop reminds us that when the internet first appeared, most of them discounted the end of traditional media. But today the electronic edition of the Financial Times has 1.4 million subscribers, a number four times the daily release of the printed version in 1995.

Twenty years ago some claimed that in a few decades there would be no journalists, but only “information brokers”, which would catch combinations of information on the internet, upon request. Today I do not see many information brokers on the plate, except in specialized professional fields. Maybe they have been displaced by the Newsfluencers, who in turn can be in danger soon by the Data-Nauts …

The public will decide

But let’s see for a moment the glass half full. From the trials that the media have been doing in recent years, it seems that artificial intelligence can offer solutions to chronic problems of traditional and online journalism. There is no reason to spend endless hours of transcribing, archiving, correcting errors, writing “super” or subtitles or captions, since technology can help all these routine work, releasing creative forces.

Theoretically, however, technology can do much more. To take the fake news to the nibist. To assign chatbots commentary on social media. To replace television protagonists with digital holograms. To seduce in endless hours of deceit with fantastic characters.

Indicatively, I mention Liril Larila, a giant combination of elephant and cactus, crossing the desert wearing anatomical sandals, with spaghetti musical music. Quite absurd? Not for artificial intelligence video generators, which have been fashionable in the kids in recent years.

Here, journalism as we knew it to this day, raises its hands high. But after all, the decision is yours, dude reader and social user. Do you want (and) update or prefer dreaming on Runway? Do you need human communication or is it enough to chat with bots?

As an older one in the journalist and a lifelong learning devotee, I hope we make this journey into the future of artificial intelligence together. But if I suspect I degrade to Avatar Assistant to read bots and gossip Liril Larilas, then I am only to say, as another Indiana Jones: I am too old for this shit …