No, in our opinion.
Narrative Science is already contributing data-drive stories to publications like Forbes. In the future, it may analyze the tone of tweets to gauge trends and public opinion. Culling through data or other information could help journalists with otherwise tedious research projects. But that doesn’t mean robot journalism will put real-live journalists out of a job anytime soon.
The Atlantic’s Rebecca Greenfield questions the quality of Narrative Science’s articles, calling robot journalism “just plain scary.” And as Arnab Gupta, CEO and founder of Opera Solutions, points out, machines still need humans to process information and decide how to use it (hat tip to Business Insider’s Diane Mermigas).
We can think of a few other reasons why living, breathing journalists remain relevant.
- Humor comes from humans, not algorithms. Clever headlines work in newspapers and magazines, but they aren’t search engine-friendly because Google doesn’t understand puns. Still, humor can enrich online articles and motivate readers to share them with friends. A few minutes on Linkbait Generator proves the lunacy of programming a machine to spit out a well-crafted joke. It’s just not the same as when it’s written by a person.
- Reporters understand context. Take this Sara Lee earnings preview that recently appeared on Forbes. Narrative Science may have nailed the data, but it’s all numbers and no context. Who are the major players at Sara Lee? Were there any management decisions or new products that impacted revenue? A reporter might find this earnings preview useful and work some of the information into her own story, but the data alone wouldn’t interest most laypeople. Good reporters also have a knack for incorporating sensory and atmospheric details to bring a story to life.
- People build a rapport with sources. The earnings preview mentioned above doesn’t include any quotes, and if it did, those quotes might be the kind of staid sound bytes that appear in press releases. Professional journalists and web content writers know how to build trust with sources and elicit information that goes beyond data or facts, speaking to readers on a personal level.
- Plenty of great stories aren’t driven by data. Would robot journalism robots know to write about an all-girl prom in Hamtramck, Mich.? Or about pet mediators who help divorced couples work out custody arrangements? Once those topics start trending on Twitter, it’s likely that some other outlet had already gotten the scoop.
Do you agree? How do you feel about robot journalism?