Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, has introduced a new AI-powered feature called “L.A. Times Insights” that analyzes stories for their political viewpoint, causing a stir among the paper’s staff.
In a letter to readers on Monday, Soon-Shiong, the executive chairman of the paper, unveiled the “Insights” tool along with other editorial changes. This new feature categorizes articles based on their political spectrum, providing a summary of the position taken and linking to alternate viewpoints on the topic. The purpose of Insights is to offer readers a diverse range of AI-enabled perspectives to help navigate the nation’s issues.
Only articles considered to have a specific point of view will be labeled “Voices” and have the Insights feature attached. Soon-Shiong aims to differentiate opinion work from news reporting through these changes, emphasizing transparency in journalism.
While the L.A. Times Guild supports initiatives to improve reader understanding of opinion versus news reporting, concerns have been raised about the AI-generated analysis potentially undermining trust in the media. The money invested in the Insights tool could have been used to support journalists who have not received cost-of-living increases since 2021.
Soon-Shiong acknowledges that errors may occur with the Insights feature, a technology in its experimental stage. Readers are encouraged to report any errors they encounter on the Insights page.
Since purchasing the Times in 2018, Soon-Shiong has been vocal about introducing a bias meter and reshaping the paper to represent diverse viewpoints. His decisions, including not endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, have sparked tensions with the paper’s staff. The recent buyout offer has further reduced the paper’s staff, with editorial writer Carla Hall being one of the final members of the editorial board to leave.
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