New York Times announces AI introduction to the newsroom

The New York Times is reportedly paving the way for the full introduction of AI in its newsrooms. 

Approval has been given to product and editorial staff to use the tech, with specific training to follow.

As featured in Semafor, the NYT has also confirmed the arrival of an internal AI tool known as Echo. 

It has been suggested the AI offerings could eventually be proficient in writing copy, SEO headlines, and some aspects of code as part of a changing work environment. 

Senior management has issued guidance to staff on do’s and don’ts for using AI, with further information on the various AI products that can be utilized to develop projects and editorial content. 

“Generative AI can assist our journalists in uncovering the truth and helping more people understand the world. Machine learning already helps us report stories we couldn’t otherwise, and generative AI has the potential to bolster our journalistic capabilities even more,” said the company’s editorial guidelines.

The New York Times plans to use the AI services to boost its offerings and user traction in areas such as digitally voiced articles, and translation into other languages. 

We view the technology not as some magical solution but as a powerful tool that, like many technological advances before, may be used in service of our mission,” added the documents shared with staff. 

Debuting a new internal AI tool called Echo -> The NYT greenlights using select internal and external AI tools for editorial and product staff, including from OpenAI, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft

"The New York Times is greenlighting the use of AI for its product and editorial… pic.twitter.com/AuWNVHPLpH

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) February 17, 2025

Various AI resources have been approved for use, including GitHub Copilot, Google’s Vertex, NotebookLM, certain Amazon offerings, and OpenAI’s non-ChatGPT API. 

The internal Echo tool will be used for efficiency in summarizing New York Times articles, briefings, and interactive content.

While the company has shifted ground on the significant introduction of AI, it has urged caution. 

It has been stressed to the editorial staff that AI should be used to draft or meaningfully change an article, to drop in third-party copyrighted content, or to navigate paywalls.

There is also the chance that some unapproved AI tools could impact the NYT’s right to protect sources

Semafor noted a lukewarm response from some Times’ staff to the AI introduction, with concerns that teams would not use the tech due to concerns about its impact. 

There was a feeling that it could act as a catalyst for a lack of productivity and uninspiring output, such as weak headlines and inaccurate information.

The NYT was previously at loggerheads with AI startup Perplexity, over the alleged use of its content, while staff were less than impressed when the same company offered to replace striking Times workers with its AI services.

Image credit: Via Midjourney

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