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German tabloid company Bild is planning to replace some of its editorial staff with artificial intelligence and “automated processes,” the latest example of human-driven AI deployment.
According to a June 21 report in The Guardian, Bild’s parent publishing firm Axel Springer SE said the move is part of a pivot from print to digital journalism, coupled with a $109 million (€100 million) revenue boost plan.
The newspaper would “unfortunately be parting ways with colleagues who have tasks that in the digital world are performed by AI and/or automated processes”, its owner, Europe’s largest media publisher, Axel Springer SE, said in an email to staff. It said the roles of “editors,
— Hakon Redder (@Hakon Redder) June 20, 2023
About 200 jobs will reportedly be cut starting in July, with the firm telling employees via email that they will “unfortunately part ways with colleagues whose jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence and/or automated processes in the digital world.”
The company added that positions such as editors, print journalists, proofreaders, photo editors and assistants will no longer exist as they do today.
The daily tabloid was founded in June 1952. In the 1980s, Bild reportedly sold over five million copies a day. Bild’s circulation dropped to 3.55 million in 2010, according to the Mondo Times. As of 2022, the print newspaper had a circulation of just over 1 million, according to Media Impact.
Cointelegraph reached out to Build for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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The rapid development of AI has already raised many fears about the loss of jobs in the future.
In May, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg that the company’s 7,800 jobs could be replaced by artificial intelligence and automation over the next five years, roughly 30% of its workforce.
IBM expects to pause hiring for roles as roughly 7,800 jobs could be replaced by #AI.
Back-office functions such as human resources will be suspended or slowed.
30% of non-customer-facing roles could be replaced by AI and automations in 5 years.
Universities, Schools, HR… pic.twitter.com/OkyHMwhqQD
— Brian Solis (@briansolis) May 2, 2023
In a June 14 report, consulting firm McKinsey & Co. in Management has predicted that generative AI will be able to fully automate up to 50% of all work activities performed in workplaces today, including tasks related to decision making, management, and interaction with stakeholders.
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