> Reporters may use AI tools vetted and approved for our workflow to assist with research, including navigating large volumes of material, summarizing background documents, and searching datasets. Even then, AI output is never treated as an authoritative source. Everything must be verified.
Good. This is basically treating AI as a search engine—it can lead you to the right answer, but you need to verify that answer for yourself.
There is a certain level of recursive irony in Ars Technica needing a formal AI policy because a senior reporter used an AI to hallucinate quotes for an article about an AI hallucinating a hit piece.
Or maybe not, I don't know, I had AI write that comment.
In any case for anyone who missed what led up to this AI policy here's a reference:
I'm very glad that Ars allows me to subscribe so that I don't have to see the ads. Some sites don't allow the option to pay for their service but force the free-but-ad-filled option on everyone
Sounds like the usual. "We don't use generative AI, except for the places we do. But forget what you know about human nature and everything you've seen from everyone else using it. We're going to use it responsibly."
> Reporters may use AI tools vetted and approved for our workflow to assist with research, including navigating large volumes of material, summarizing background documents, and searching datasets. Even then, AI output is never treated as an authoritative source. Everything must be verified.
Good. This is basically treating AI as a search engine—it can lead you to the right answer, but you need to verify that answer for yourself.
There is a certain level of recursive irony in Ars Technica needing a formal AI policy because a senior reporter used an AI to hallucinate quotes for an article about an AI hallucinating a hit piece.
Or maybe not, I don't know, I had AI write that comment. In any case for anyone who missed what led up to this AI policy here's a reference:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47226608
Having ads in the middle of an article about newsroom policy is pretty wacky
I'm very glad that Ars allows me to subscribe so that I don't have to see the ads. Some sites don't allow the option to pay for their service but force the free-but-ad-filled option on everyone
If you care about the publication, you are very welcome to pay and become a subscriber and enjoy an ad free experience like I do.
If you don’t, do you really get to complain about ads?
Sounds like the usual. "We don't use generative AI, except for the places we do. But forget what you know about human nature and everything you've seen from everyone else using it. We're going to use it responsibly."