“News organisations face a clear and unavoidable decision: will they use AI to automate the work that they already do, continuing to cling to familiar processes and products, or will they learn the mistakes of the last major technology-driven disruption, and reimagine journalism altogether?”
David Caswell and Mary Fitzgerald
Writing in Prospect, Caswell and Fitzgerald argue for “public service intelligence,” an AI-driven information resource established in society’s interest like public service media today. They foresee a future-facing organization that focuses more on mediating user information needs, “as a ‘listener’ rather than a ‘broadcaster'”.
David Caswell worked on AI projects at BBC News Labs and currently operates his own consultancy, StoryFlow. Journalist Mary Fitzgerald is director of programs at the Open Society Foundation.
AI is the media’s chance to reinvent itself | PROSPECT | March 5, 2025 | by David Caswell and Mary Fitzgerald