Generative AI in Journalism

The Power of Generative AI in Journalism: Applications and Perspectives

This seminar is an opportunity to develop your skills in the application of AI in journalism and take your work to a new level.

We will cover several key topics that will help you expand your knowledge in this field. From using Generative AI in journalism in general and in our company in particular, to ChatGPT prompt writing, verification, and automated newsletter generation. We will offer creative ideas for journalists and show you how to work with texts using ChatGPT.

General Overview

  • Level: Beginners
  • Language: English
  • Where: Virtually via MS Teams
  • Duration: Each module lasts 2 hours. In the first part, there is always an input, which is followed by Q+A.

Overview of the modules

It is possible to register for each module individually. However, to get a complete overview, we recommend attending all the offered modules. This is also the prerequisite to receive a certificate of participation after completion of the seminar.

Module 1: Introduction: Generative AI in Journalism
  • Artificial intelligence in journalism
  • Generative AI and storytelling (visual media, audio content, etc)
  • Potential impact of generative AI on journalism
    • Opportunities and challenges in the use of generative AI
    • Ethical aspects and responsibility in dealing with generative AI
  • The latest developments and findings in Axel Springer Context
  • Q&A
Module 2: AI Tools: Insights and Opportunities
  • AI tools for different tasks & Use Cases
    • Presentation of different AI tools and their specific application areas
    • Demonstration of functions and possibilities
    • Advantages and disadvantages
  • Case studies of successful applications of AI in the media industry
  • Outlook for the further development of AI tools in the media sector
Module 3: Prompt Writing for Journalists
  • Introduction to journalistic prompt writing
    • Importance of prompts in a journalistic context
    • Differences between general and journalistic prompts
    • Basic principles of effective prompt writing
  • Guidelines for writing journalistic prompts
    • Structure and composition of a journalistic prompt
    • Choosing the right words and phrases
  • Idea generation for journalistic content
    • Creative techniques for generating story ideas
    • Research methods to explore topics in depth
    • Using prompt writing to develop story concepts
  • Application of prompts in journalistic practice
    • Practical examples of the use of prompts in different journalistic genres
    • Effective use of prompts to structure articles and reports
    • Case studies and success stories from everyday journalistic practice
Module 4: ChatGPT: Shorten, clarify, control: How AI can help us in everyday life
  • Effective headlines and teasers with ChatGPT
  • Shortening texts and creating infoboxes with ChatGPT
  • Practical exercises for application
  • Using ChatGPT for creative and inviting introductions
  • Tips for increasing linguistic creativity and expressiveness
  • Application of learned techniques to real projects

* Prerequisite: a ChatGPT Account (3,5 or 4)

Module 5: Debunking AI-generated content (focus on images and videos)

Introduction to AI content detection strategies
– Deceptively genuine? Only at first glance
– Logical thinking and journalistic sleuthing
– Concept of internal and external logic
– Recognizing suspicious patterns and inconsistencies
– How to recognize every news-relevant AI fake

Practical application
– Exercises based on real case studies of fake news, fake images and manipulated videos
– Deriving insights and lessons learned from the examples studied
– Limited effectiveness of AI tools for detecting fakes

Journalistic engagement
– “You can’t believe anyone anymore” | Discussion of journalistic responsibility to educate in the AI age

Module 6: Journalistic Research with AI

– Introduction to AI-supported journalistic research.
– Where chatbots can take (tedious) work off our hands
– Ingenious helpers for text transformation and topic inspiration
– Caution with text generation

– Journalism application area: overview of available chatbots
– More than just ChatGPT
– Alternatives with Internet access – beware of hallucinations
– “Very helpful, but….”: On the logical limits of AI support.
– The deceptive appeal of free tools

How do I tell my chatbot? Systematics of prompting
– Juggling with rhetorical terms
– Text evaluation with tables
– Really nothing found? – How persistence leads to the goal

Module 7: Automated Newsletter Generation
  • Presentation of the basic concepts and benefits of automated newsletter creation
  • Overview of the role of AI in custom content delivery
  • Use of AI to collect relevant content from various sources
  • Methods for structuring and organizing content for the newsletter
  • Using AI algorithms to create customized content for different audiences
  • Case studies and best practices for effective newsletter personalization
  • Techniques for scheduling and automating newsletter delivery
  • Tips for continuous optimization of newsletter performance
Module 8: ChatGPT PlugIns - Focus on Journalism

– What is the difference between the free and paid versions of ChatGPT? Advantages and disadvantages
– What are plugins – and how to use them?
– Evaluate PDFs, videos and web pages, text-to-speech, prompt writer, and much more – what plugins make possible
– Plugins in daily use: concrete research examples
– Exchange of experiences about the best plugins

*Attention: the tools and examples, shown in module are available only in the paid version of ChatGPT

More Info

Most of our upskilling offers are structured in short learning modules (each 1-2 hours) that break down the content into manageable chunks of information that can be easily assimilated by the participants and take up as little time as possible.

Most events for 2023 will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

All times are in Central European Time (CET).