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The New York Times Adopts AI for Editing, Research, and Summarization

Author

Alicia Shapiro
February 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

A modern newsroom where journalists work at desks, using AI-powered tools on their computer screens. A large central screen prominently displays "Echo AI" summarizing an article, while other monitors showcase AI-assisted research and editing suggestions. The office setting reflects a blend of human expertise and AI collaboration, highlighting the integration of AI in journalism.

Image Source: ChatGPT-4o

The New York Times Adopts AI for Editing, Research, and Summarization

In a policy shift, The New York Times (NYT) has approved a set of AI tools for its newsroom and editorial teams, despite previously stating that its journalism would always be created by expert journalists.

According to a report by Semafor, the publication is allowing its product and editorial teams to use AI for tasks such as writing social media copy, generating SEO headlines, and coding.

AI in the Newsroom: The Echo Summary Tool

Staff were informed via email about the introduction of Echo, an internal AI-powered summarization tool designed to assist journalists. Additionally, the company introduced a suite of AI products aimed at helping teams develop web products and editorial concepts.

The editorial guidelines now permit AI use for:

  • Suggesting edits and improving writing.

  • Brainstorming interview questions and ideas.

  • Conducting research and summarizing content.

However, staff cannot use AI to:

  • Draft or significantly revise full articles.

  • Input confidential source information into AI tools.

  • The guidelines also suggest the NYT might use AI for digitally voiced articles and translations into other languages.

Approved AI Tools & Development Platforms

The NYT has approved select AI tools for different functions, including:

  • GitHub Copilot – AI-powered coding assistant.

  • Google’s Vertex AI – For product development.

  • NotebookLM & Amazon AI tools – For various editorial and development tasks.

  • OpenAI’s API (Non-ChatGPT) – Accessible via a business account.

AI Adoption Amid Legal Battle

The NYT’s embrace of AI comes even as it is actively suing OpenAI and Microsoft for allegedly violating copyright laws by training generative AI models on its content. The shift also reflects a broader industry trend, with other newsrooms increasingly integrating AI into their workflows.

Looking Ahead: The Role of AI in Journalism

While the NYT remains committed to human-led journalism, its new AI policies signal a growing acceptance of AI’s role in content creation. As more newsrooms incorporate AI into editing, research, and content optimization, the line between human and AI-generated work continues to blur.

At the same time, AI-driven tools could help journalists work more efficiently, allowing them to focus on investigative reporting, in-depth analysis, and storytelling while AI handles repetitive tasks like summarization and headline generation.

As AI evolves, media organizations will need to balance technological advantages with journalistic ethics and legal considerations.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.