RSF Announces Its Intention to Develop an Artificial Intelligence Tool for the Media

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in cooperation with the General Information Press Alliance from France, have announced that they suggest developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool intended for journalists and aimed at protecting the property right for media content.

According to RSF, the basic goal of the initiative is developing a tool which allows using data and print media content for training AI learning models while complying with the media’s intellectual property rights. The initial phase of the Spinoza Project, as it has been called, involves creating a prototype artificial intelligence tool for journalists by the end of 2023.Ths prototype initially focused on the information regarding climate changes will provide access to the databases for media representatives, offering such data as scientific research papers, legislative texts, and press articles from partner newspapers.

The initiators emphasize the fact that the tool will cite the sources to facilitate and speed up journalists’ search for complex information as a crucial aspect.

RSF specifies that the language model will be open-source, which implies that the public will have free access to the code. Initially, over 300 media outlets will be testing the tool to make sure that it meets their colleagues’ specific needs.

“With the Spinoza project we want to give journalists the means to regain control over their production tools in a technological landscape that is increasingly hostile to reliable journalism. We want to help develop AI culture and technology in the journalism community and strengthen the media’s sovereignty over their means of production,” Christophe Deloire, RSF Secretary-General, affirms.

According to Philippe Carli, President of the General Information Press Alliance, publishers’ and journalists’ contribution “is essential in order to establish the foundations for trustworthy AI and the creation of truly valuable content.”