Driving Local Media Growth with AI Generated Content from Trusted Data Sources

What is AI-generated content?

AI-generated content is any form of text, image, audio, or video produced using artificial intelligence algorithms. 

Generative AI algorithms are trained on massive datasets of existing content, enabling these AI systems to learn patterns, styles, and structures and produce content while attempting to replicate human-like creativity.

AI-generated content is useful in various applications from marketing and sales, content creation, SEO optimization, image and video creation, to software development and newsroom reporting. 

The quality and originality of AI-generated content varies depending on the specific models, algorithms, and training data used by the AI tools.

Sources used for AI-generated content may not always be transparent or trusted and as a result, might have errors and inaccuracies, be misleading, or be just plain wrong. 

AI Content Generators

AI content generators are software applications that use artificial intelligence to produce various forms of content, such as text, images, or audio. They leverage natural language processing and machine learning techniques to understand input prompts and generate relevant, engaging, and often human-like content.

AI content generators commonly used in publishing are SEO optimization tools that craft titles, meta descriptions, and keyword phrases to improve search engine rankings.

AI in the Newsroom

News organizations are no strangers to innovations with AI, and we can expect to see more as audiences warm up to the use of AI in the newsroom.

By embracing these innovative ideas, newsrooms have harnessed the power of AI (beyond the basic capabilities of chatgpt or openai) to not only improve their operations, but also to create new revenue streams, optimize workflows and new production, and to better serve their communities. 

A few popular use cases of AI technologies in the newsroom include the following:

Personalized News Digests: Utilizing AI to curate personalized news feeds for individual readers based on their interests, preferences, and reading habits. This could increase reader engagement and potentially lead to higher subscription rates.

Automated Fact-Checking and Verification: AI can be used to automate fact-checking processes, saving journalists valuable time and resources. This can enhance the credibility and accuracy of news reporting. Real-time analysis of transcriptions can quickly identify misinformation.

Analytical Storytelling: AI can analyze large datasets and uncover patterns or trends that might be difficult for humans to identify. This can lead to unique, data-driven stories that provide valuable insights and summaries for readers.

Data-Driven News Reporting: AI can streamline the creation of repetitive content based on templated data. This can lead to news stories and insights, such as local home sales reported from MLS Data Feeds, that readers find interesting.

Social Media: News organizations leverage AI in various ways on social media to enhance their content creation, distribution, and audience engagement.

It’s important to note that the use of AI by news outlets is still evolving. Newsrooms continue to prioritize ethical considerations (ai ethics), transparency, and human oversight to ensure the responsible and beneficial use of AI in journalism. Using trusted data sources with AI-generated content makes this process simpler.

Benefits of Using Trusted Data Sources in Local News Media

AI content generators can produce huge volumes of content very quickly—and accurately if using data sources that have been vetted (for example when using the Multiple Listing Services that real estate professionals use to share information about properties for sale).

Trusted data sources have a high degree of reliability, accuracy, and credibility and can be confidently used for decision-making, summarizing, research, or other responsible ai purposes.

While AI content generators are gaining traction in various sectors, their adoption in news operations is still in its nascent stage. 

Several tools, platforms, and large language models are emerging that are data-driven and cater to the specific needs of local newsrooms.

Wordsmith from Automated Insights: Focuses on data-driven storytelling, automatically generating news reports from structured data like sports scores, financial reports, or election results. 

United Robots Content Products: Offers a suite of AI-powered tools designed for local news, including automated sports reporting, traffic updates, and real estate listings. Their solutions aim to streamline the production of repetitive content while maintaining journalistic standards.

AskNews: Provide human editorials boosted by AI-powered insights to minimize bias and build a transparent view of current events.

Publishers can get real benefits from these tools, including:

• Volume. The core value of automation is the ability to produce quality content that is granular and provides hyperlocal coverage (think top home sales in your community).
• Speed. Stories are written in seconds, published just as fast, and at the speed of transactional data (think of a home sale closing).
• Consistency: Data is transformed by natural language processing and templates to create consistent-looking transactional news.

Trusted data sources for AI-generated content, like those listed below, are crucial for ensuring the accuracy, reliability, and ethical use of AI-generated content.

• Data.gov
• Multiple Listing Services Data
• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Research
• National Weather Service
• U.S. Census Bureau

By prioritizing trusted data sources and evaluating them critically, we can enhance the quality and credibility of AI-generated content.

a turnkey solution named Mai Towne that provides real estate news, plus weather and traffic alerts. The content management system relies on WordPress and can run on a standalone domain like grandstrandlocal.com or on your own subdomain, such as my.yourdomain.com or homes.yourdomain.com.