An Italian newspaper’s bold experiment with artificial intelligence has revealed surprising strengths and clear limitations of AI in journalism, offering valuable insights for the media industry worldwide.
For one month, Il Foglio, a conservative Italian daily, published a four-page insert written entirely by AI alongside its regular newspaper. The trial proved successful enough that the publication now plans to continue with a weekly AI-generated section.
“Some publishers see AI as a way to have fewer journalists and more machines. That is very wrong and self-harming,” said Claudio Cerasa, editor of Il Foglio. “The fundamental thing is to understand what you can do more of, not less.”
Unexpected AI skills
The experiment revealed surprising AI capabilities. Cerasa was particularly struck by the technology’s aptitude for humor. “The most mysterious thing, the most incredible thing, was its sense of irony was immediately genuine,” he noted. “If you ask it to write an ironic article on any topic, AI knows how to do it.”
The AI also excelled at book reviews, analyzing 700-page texts and producing thoughtful critiques in minutes. However, the AI couldn’t determine on its own whether to give a positive or negative assessment – it needed human direction.
Clear limitations
Despite these strengths, the experiment exposed significant shortcomings. The AI demonstrated a lack of critical thinking and couldn’t disagree with editorial guidance – something Cerasa considers essential in journalism.
“If you give a journalist guidance for an article, for me it’s good to hear them say ‘no’, to hear them disagree with you. This discussion is fundamental but doesn’t happen with AI,” Cerasa explained.
The technology also made factual errors and struggled to update its knowledge. Cerasa cited its persistent mistake about the 2024 U.S. election, where it incorrectly stated that Donald Trump had won. This accuracy issue highlights the need for careful human oversight of AI-generated content.
Impact on journalism jobs
Rather than replacing journalists, Cerasa believes AI will create new roles for people skilled in prompting and extracting the best results from the technology. He also suggests AI will push human journalists to be more original and dig deeper.
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“Writers will be compelled to find new elements to be more creative and relatable,” he said.
Future plans
The month-long trial reportedly boosted Il Foglio’s sales. The newspaper now plans to publish a weekly AI-generated section and occasionally use AI for articles in specialized areas where their small staff of 22 lacks expertise, as demonstrated by a piece on astronomy they published.
In an unusual move, Il Foglio’s team “interviewed” their AI counterpart about its capabilities. The AI acknowledged it doesn’t know how to argue on the phone, understand implications, or “smell the air” in the way human journalists can, but stated it was learning by observing humans. According to the source material, the AI positioned itself as a tool designed to assist journalists rather than replace them.
The missing pieces
While Il Foglio’s experiment breaks new ground, several important aspects remain unexplored in the initial reporting. These include ethical frameworks guiding AI use in journalism, the level of transparency with readers about AI involvement, training needs for journalists working with AI, potential impacts on smaller news organizations and those in developing countries, and the effect on reader trust.
The experiment also raises questions about how news outlets verify AI-generated content, which specific AI models are being used, and the long-term economic sustainability of integrating AI into news production.
As AI technology continues to evolve rapidly, Il Foglio’s experience offers valuable lessons about both the potential and limitations of AI in creating news content. Based on Cerasa’s comments, AI appears to work best as a collaborative tool that enhances human journalism rather than replacing it.
For a newspaper with just 22 staff members, AI offers ways to expand coverage into specialized areas while allowing human journalists to focus on work requiring critical thinking, investigative skills, and emotional intelligence – qualities that, for now, remain uniquely human.
