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Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify


In a July arbitration hearing, Politico faced allegations that two generative AI tools violated its union contract.

One of a few points of contention during the hearing was whether LETO summaries and Report Builder outputs qualify as journalism — or, more specifically, as “newsgathering.” That’s critical because PEN Guild’s collective bargaining agreement, which went into effect in January 2024, states: AI-generated text output by Politico Pro’s Report Builder details fictional lobbying efforts of “the Basket Weavers Guild” and “the League of Left-Handed Plumbers.” At a global town hall in mid-July, days after the arbitration hearing, CEO Matthias Döepfner said no employee at Axel Springer should have to explain why they are using AI, Status reported.

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