The news outlet, Xigashada Sawirka, reported that the American and British news company, MSN, is planning to replace some of its editors with machines called ‘robots’ to handle the tasks that editors were previously responsible for. The news agency regularly gathers news, writes headlines, and selects photos for the MSN network, which is owned by Microsoft.
Satellite News has stated that the latest development in the reporters’ jobs involves them working with ‘robots’ that use Artificial Intelligence to assist with the editing and production process. Microsoft has announced that the initiative is part of their efforts to improve and streamline their operations.
“We are always striving to enhance the quality and efficiency of our business. Our focus on efficiency will help us allocate our resources judiciously, especially as some staff members may be required to work remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Microsoft said.
Microsoft, a leading technology company, is now focusing on integrating artificial intelligence into their news editing operations. The journalists will still be involved in determining the stories to cover and how to cover them.
With the decision reached by Microsoft, their goal is to carry out these changes in June and transfer about 50 employees who work in news editing to report directly to Microsoft.
However, not everyone affected by this decision is pleased with the outcome. One employee stated, “Changing machines to take over the jobs we have been doing can be demoralizing.”
Some employees have expressed concerns about the robots taking over their jobs, as they believe that machines could potentially alter the content that the MSN network provides.
An article by The Guardian featured interviews with employees in the news industry, one of whom is among the 27 UKPA employees who have been affected by the decision.
Microsoft is one of the major technology companies working on robot technology to replace editorial tasks previously handled by human editors, with the aim of reducing costs while improving operations. Google is also involved in a similar project with a higher budget allocation.
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