Felix M. Simon

@[email protected]
451 Followers
286 Following
43 Posts
Leverhulme Scholar @oiioxford | AI in news/Political comms/Misinfo | Research Assistant @risj_oxford | Fellow @TowCenter | Affiliate @unc_citap | My views etc…
Oxford Websitehttps://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/felix-simon/
Twitter (lol)https://twitter.com/_FelixSimon_
LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/felixsimon
Google Scholarhttps://scholar.google.de/citations?user=JBiGIG0AAAAJ&hl=en
Felix M. SimonApr 18, 2023

This week, @emilybell & I will be joined by Charlie Beckett, @ndiakopoulos & Uli Köppen at the International Journalism Festival to talk about AI, platforms, and news. #ijf23

Come to say hello and/or ask us tough questions or watch via the live stream: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2023/the-elephant-in-the-room-could-ai-give-technology-giants-more-control-over-the-news

The elephant in the room: could AI give technology giants more control over the news?

If you attended any news conference in recent years, one thing will have stuck out: almost everyone seems to be excited by the possibilities of using artificial intelligence for journalism. And indeed, AI looms large in modern-day newswork. Journalists the world over nowadays rely on AI to quickly translate or transcribe text and audio, parse throu...

International Journalism Festival
Felix M. SimonMar 6, 2023

Over the last 1 1/2 years, I talked to 150+ research journalists and experts to understand what #AI will (and won't) mean for journalism and the news.

With generative AI making headlines, I have summarised some thoughts here for
@oiioxford

https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/news/ai-will-not-revolutionise-journalism-but-it-is-far-from-a-fad/

OII | AI will not revolutionise journalism, but it is far from a fad

The technology is a chance for the news if used wisely, argues Felix Simon, doctoral researcher, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

Felix M. SimonMar 3, 2023

"We seem to be being led by a remarkably similar group of…wealthy technologists…down yet another untested and unregulated track"

Great piece by @emilybell on the pitfalls of AI in journalism, with comments from myself, @CharlieBeckett & @merbroussard

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/03/fake-news-chatgpt-truth-journalism-disinformation

A fake news frenzy: why ChatGPT could be disastrous for truth in journalism

A platform that can mimic humans’ writing with no commitment to the truth is a gift for those who benefit from disinformation, says Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism

The Guardian
Show threadFelix M. SimonMar 2, 2023

We hope this document will be useful to journalists, executives and policymakers alike—and clearly show that there is hope and that better climate journalism is possible, if we want it.

Link again, here: https://www.ebu.ch/guides/open/report/news-report-2023-climate-journalism-that-works

(Perhaps of interest to @rahmstorf?)

News Report 2023: Climate journalism that works

In this year's News Report, you'll find case studies to help you deliver climate-related journalism that will resonate with your audiences. They'll also guide you when reorganizing newsrooms and building expertise across all genres, ensuring transversal climate coverage.

Show threadFelix M. SimonMar 2, 2023
Spearheaded by Alexandra Borchardt, with writing support by Katherine Dunn and myself, this report details on 180 pages what has been done, can be done, and should be done by news media to address and adequately report on the most important issue of our time. It was a gargantuan effort to bring all these different perspectives together and we will have likely missed out on some things but we really tried to come at this from a macro perspective, while remaining practical in our advice.
Felix M. SimonMar 2, 2023

🌳 Our work of 8 months has come to an end, but for many news organisations it only just begins. Very happy to see the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) News Report 2023 on “Climate Journalism That Works” out in the wild—with many case studies & summaries of latest research.

🌳🪴 https://www.ebu.ch/guides/open/report/news-report-2023-climate-journalism-that-works

#climatechange #journalism #strategy #innovation #media

News Report 2023: Climate journalism that works

In this year's News Report, you'll find case studies to help you deliver climate-related journalism that will resonate with your audiences. They'll also guide you when reorganizing newsrooms and building expertise across all genres, ensuring transversal climate coverage.

Felix M. SimonFeb 27, 2023

Interested in AI, news, and platform companies?

Then come to my @journalismfest panel in Perugia this April, co-organised with the wonderful @emilybell, featuring @CharlieBeckett, Uli Köppen & @ndiakopoulos.

Details here: https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2023/the-elephant-in-the-room-could-ai-give-technology-giants-more-control-over-the-news

The elephant in the room: could AI give technology giants more control over the news?

If you attended any news conference in recent years, one thing will have stuck out: almost everyone seems to be excited by the possibilities of using artificial intelligence for journalism. And indeed, AI looms large in modern-day newswork. Journalists the world over nowadays rely on AI to quickly translate or transcribe text and audio, parse throu...

International Journalism Festival
Felix M. SimonJan 29, 2023
Hive-mind: Do you know of any good studies/meta-analyses/lit reviews that news coverage as a whole has become more negative over time?
Show threadFelix M. SimonJan 29, 2023
Yes, with LLMs we will see a bigger impact on the production side. But it's only But it's only one part of the broader "AI-ification" of the news.
Show threadFelix M. SimonJan 29, 2023

However, AI is used by news organisations in countless ways—detecting stories, improving production processes, and more targeted distribution—which taken together already make a difference to journalism.

It just happens in more places and in ways that are seen as less worrisome to most of us (even though, e.g., the use of AI in recommendation is potentially just as or even more problematic than in writing texts).