Global news broadcaster Channel NewsAsia (CNA) in Singapore is changing the way its newsroom operates through artificial intelligence (AI) technology. CNA has a wide influence in the news industry, reaching 150 million households and devices across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company began experimenting with AI technology in 2019, aiming to improve the efficiency and quality of news reporting.
Walter Fernandez, the editor-in-chief of CNA, pointed out that the potential of AI is huge and is expected to completely change the way the news industry operates. Although early editors saw AI as an auxiliary tool, Fernandez takes a more radical view, believing that AI will become the foundational technology in the newsroom. He emphasized that CNA does not intend to be the first media to adopt AI, but will be an early adopter to enjoy long-term technological benefits.
Within CNA, they spent a year developing and refining AI usage guidelines and establishing cross-departmental regulatory mechanisms to ensure the necessity of human intervention. In specific operations, CNA refuses to use cloned AI voices or AI-generated images for news reporting and documentary production, emphasizing that all AI projects must be able to solve real problems.
AI has become a core tool for CNA in fighting misinformation, uncovering hidden stories behind massive data, and producing content in various formats and languages. Taking Singapore's recent general election as an example, CNA used ChatGPT technology to support journalists, enabling them to report more efficiently. Journalists used internally built GPT tools to obtain verified information and background stories. Additionally, OpenAI's advanced reasoning model helped analyze manipulated social media activities during the election period.
Based on feedback from journalists, CNA found parliamentary reporting to be a major pain point, so they developed the "Parliament AI" system. This system can identify the faces of over 90 members of parliament, transcribe speeches, and generate searchable summaries, greatly improving the efficiency of journalists.
So far, CNA has created more than 20 customized GPT tools, one of which, called "Newsroom Assistant," has become a popular choice among journalists. CNA has also promoted over 500 enterprise licenses throughout the company and offers basic and advanced training courses to ensure that every employee can master the use of these tools.
CNA's goal is to create a fully AI-driven newsroom, emphasizing that in this era of information explosion, the quality and relevance of content will become important differentiating factors for news organizations. Fernandez urges news organizations to no longer look on, but to seriously consider changes in their technology stack and processes, encouraging employees to explore the potential of AI in news work.
Key Points:
📈 AI technology is completely changing the way CNA's newsroom operates, becoming a foundational technology.
🗳️ CNA used AI tools in Singapore's general election to help journalists report more efficiently.
🤖 The development of the "Parliament AI" system significantly improved the efficiency of covering parliamentary activities.
