Abstract

Platform companies play an important role in the production and distribution of news. This article analyses this role and questions of control, dependence and autonomy in the light of the ‘AI goldrush’ in the news. I argue that the introduction of AI in the news risks shifting even more control to and increasing the news industry’s dependence on platform companies. While platform companies’ power over news organisations has to date mainly flown from their control over the channels of distribution, AI potentially allows them to extend this control to the means of production as the technology increasingly permeates all stages of the news-making process. As a result, news organisations risk becoming even more tethered to platform companies in the long-run, potentially limiting their autonomy and, by extension, contributing to a restructuring of the public arena as news organisations are re-shaped according to the logics of platform businesses. I conclude by mapping a research agenda that highlights potential implications and spells out areas in need of further exploration.

摘要

平台公司在新闻的制作和发布中发挥着重要作用。本文根据新闻中的“AI 淘金热”分析了这种作用以及控制、依赖和自主的问题。我认为，在新闻中引入人工智能有可能将更多的控制权转移给新闻行业，并增加新闻行业对平台公司的依赖。虽然迄今为止，平台公司对新闻机构的控制主要来自于它们对传播渠道的控制，但随着技术越来越渗透到新闻制作过程的各个阶段，人工智能有可能使它们能够将这种控制扩展到生产资料。因此，从长远来看，新闻机构有可能更加依赖于平台公司，这可能会限制他们的自主权，并推而广之，根据平台业务的逻辑重新塑造新闻机构，为公共领域的重组做出贡献。最后，我绘制了一个研究议程，突出了潜在的影响并阐明了需要进一步探索的领域。