Independent launches AI-created news briefings for ‘busy’ readers

The Independent is launching a new fast news service that will harness artificial intelligence (AI) to create summarised versions of articles for people on the move.

The platform, called Bulletin, publishes bullet point briefings designed for “seriously busy” audiences.

It will utilise Google Gemini, the search engine’s AI chatbot, to produce content which will be reviewed and checked by journalists before being published.

The Independent said it was creating a series of new editorial jobs to oversee the service, which will be launched as a separate platform from March 31.

Editor-in-chief Geordie Greig said the newspaper was “helping to pioneer what is a fact of life in 21st century information, the use of AI in journalism”.

Bulletin will allow it to “cut to the chase” with news briefings that “supplement” full-length content.

Readers will have the option to click through to in-depth news, podcasts, newsletters and documentaries, according to the publisher.

“That need has become more acute, whether from long working hours, busy family life, or all kinds of other reasons,” he said.

But he stressed that its “human team” will still be best placed to produce in-depth news and features.

Other major news outlets have started using AI to produce content in recent years.

Newsquest, which is behind dozens of regional newspapers including The Herald in Scotland, now employs AI-assisted reporters who use the technology to help write news articles.

Last year, the Financial Times launched its first generative AI tool for subscribers, allowing users to ask questions and receive a response using content published by the newspaper over the past two decades.

Meanwhile, AI has not always come without its issues. In January, Apple announced it had paused the use of its Apple Intelligence AI tools to create news summaries after a number of incidents where it created inaccurate headlines.