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Gizmodo’s owner replaced its Spanish language journalists with AI

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Summary

G/O Media, the owner of Gizmodo, has replaced its Spanish language journalists with AI to translate articles for its Spanish-language site Gizmodo en Espanol. Matias S. Zavia, a writer for Gizmodo en Espanol, posted about the decision to replace journalists with AI. The transition to AI translation has not been smooth, with some articles beginning in Spanish and then suddenly changing to English. G/O Media has also been experimenting with generative AI to create news stories and lists without paying more writers. The GMG Union, part of the Writers Guild of America, East, expressed disappointment over the decision to replace the Gizmodo en Espanol team and the lack of adequate severance for the four employees who held yearly contracts with the company.

Q&As

What happened to Gizmodo's Spanish language journalists?
Gizmodo's Spanish language journalists were laid off on August 29th.

How is G/O Media publishing articles on Gizmodo en Espanol now?
G/O Media is now using AI to translate and publish articles on Gizmodo en Espanol.

What has been the experience of AI-generated stories on Gizmodo?
The transition to AI translation has not been smooth, and some articles have started in Spanish and then suddenly changed to English. There have also been factual errors in some AI-generated stories.

How did the GMG Union respond to G/O Media's decision to replace Gizmodo en Espanol's staff?
The GMG Union expressed disappointment over the firing of Gizmodo en Espanol's staff and said the site had four employees who had yearly contracts with the company and will be unable to receive “adequate severance.”

What was the history of Gizmodo en Espanol?
Gizmodo en Espanol started after former owner, the now defunct Gawker Media, bought the site Guanabee in 2012.

AI Comments

👍 It's great to see G/O Media pushing the boundaries of technology and exploring AI for content creation. It's also great to see them being transparent about their processes by including disclaimers about AI translation on their Spanish site.

👎 It's unfortunate that G/O Media chose to replace the Spanish language journalists with AI and didn't provide adequate severance for them. It's also concerning that AI-generated stories have been published without the knowledge of staff, which could lead to factual errors.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about Gizmodo's owner replacing its Spanish language journalists with AI. It's quite an interesting article as it discusses the implications of AI on the journalism industry. It also talks about the union's reaction to the decision and the implications of AI for jobs in the industry.

Friend: Wow, that is quite concerning. It looks like AI is taking over more jobs in the media industry.

Me: Yes, it does. It's important to be aware of the implications of AI on jobs and the media industry, especially since AI is becoming more and more advanced. It's also important to keep in mind that AI is not perfect and can still make mistakes. It's also concerning that G/O Media laid off editors of its Spanish-language site without providing adequate severance, which is why the union expressed disappointment over the decision.

Action items

Research other news organizations that are using AI to generate content and compare their successes and failures.
Reach out to the GMG Union to learn more about their efforts to protect journalists from being replaced by AI.
Follow the Gizmodo en Espanol story to see how the transition to AI translation progresses.

Technical terms

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that focuses on creating machines that can think and act like humans.
Tech: Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.
Gizmodo en Espanol: Gizmodo en Espanol is a Spanish-language version of the popular tech website Gizmodo.
Generative AI: Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that is used to generate content, such as news stories or lists.
USB-C: USB-C is a type of USB connector that is used to connect devices to computers.
Xbox Mastercard: The Xbox Mastercard is a credit card that rewards users with points that can be redeemed for games.
Dynamic Island: Dynamic Island is a virtual world created by Microsoft for its Xbox gaming console.