AI-generated news should carry 'nutrition' labels: What it means?
What's the story
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a left-of-centre think tank, has suggested that artificial intelligence (AI)-generated news should come with "nutrition" labels. The proposal comes as more people turn to AI technology for current affairs. The IPPR also wants tech companies to pay publishers for the content they use in their AI systems.
Industry shift
AI firms as new 'gatekeepers' of the internet
The IPPR has warned that AI firms are quickly becoming the new "gatekeepers" of the internet. To ensure a healthy AI news environment, it has suggested standardized labels for AI-generated news. These labels would detail what information was used to create those answers, including peer-reviewed studies and articles from professional news organizations.
Licensing proposal
IPPR proposes licensing regime for content use
The IPPR has also proposed a licensing regime in the UK. This would allow publishers to negotiate with tech companies over their content's use in AI news. Roa Powell, a senior research fellow at IPPR and co-author of the report, said if AI companies are going to profit from journalism and shape what the public sees, they must be required to pay fairly for the news they use.
Policy recommendations
Stance on copyright law and government support
The IPPR has also called for no changes to copyright law to ensure a licensing market grows. It has suggested that the government should support new business models for news not dependent on the tech sector, including backing the BBC and local news providers. The think tank believes these policies could help UK news organizations transition their business models for the AI age.
Tool evaluation
Analysis of AI tools and news sources
The IPPR tested four AI tools, ChatGPT, Google AI overviews, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, by entering 100 news-related queries. It found that ChatGPT and Gemini did not cite journalism by the BBC, which has blocked the bots they use to assemble answers. However, Google's overviews and Perplexity used BBC content despite the broadcaster's objections to those tools using its journalism.
Source analysis
Findings on news sources in AI responses
The IPPR found that the Telegraph, GB News, The Sun and The Daily Mail were cited in less than 4% of answers on ChatGPT. In contrast, The Guardian, which has a licensing deal with ChatGPT's parent company OpenAI was used as a source in nearly six out of 10 responses. The Financial Times also featured prominently due to its licensing agreement with OpenAI.