A few months ago, a group of very smart people gathered at Poynter for a summit on artificial intelligence. I attended with the goal of doing some research for the four-week course I’m launching in October. And I left feeling like I at least knew the right kinds of questions to be asking about AI, even if I for sure didn’t know all the answers. 

You can get a sense for both of those things in our new report on that summit. Here are the key takeaways from the report: 

• There is significant anxiety and distrust among audiences regarding AI in journalism, exacerbated by concerns over job security and the motives behind AI use​.

• Audiences largely want to be told when AI is used in news production.

• There is a need for clear, specific disclosures about how AI is used in news production to avoid label fatigue and maintain audience trust.

• Data privacy is a significantly overlooked concern in the deployment of newsroom AI tools and should be addressed.

• Newsrooms are encouraged to experiment with AI to discover new capabilities and integrate these tools thoughtfully into their workflows.

• Continuous audience feedback and involvement in the AI development process are essential to creating relevant and trustworthy news products​.

• News organizations should invest in AI literacy initiatives to help both journalists and the public understand AI’s capabilities and limitations, fostering a more informed and collaborative environment.

There’s a lot to dig into, including the findings of a focus group. You can check out the full report here. 

While you’re here:

• The Center for Community News has a number of fall events, including covering elections and how to build successful news-academic partnerships. 

• If the concept of the career ladder isn’t working for you, and in this industry it might not be, check out Bridget Thoreson’s Career River framework in a webinar on navigating roles for journalists. It takes place at 2 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 17. 

• In the final session of Beat Academy 2024, experts from KFF and KFF Health News will dig into the health care policies of our two presidential candidates. You can enroll for $18 with code 24healthBA18. It takes place Sept. 26.

• Susan Smith Richardson has joined The Pivot Fund as managing director. Smith Richardson previously worked as the managing editor of Guardian US and CEO of the Center for Public Integrity.

• And there are a few seats left in Level Up: AI for Journalists, which starts Oct. 1. 

That’s it for me. Thanks for reading!

Kristen