Google and Bastion Digital roll out new AI pilot program for Australian news organisations

The Google News Initiative is partnering with Bastion Digital to develop and lead the GNI AI Workshops program for small and medium news organisations across Australia. The program will support publishers, editors and business leaders at up to 12 news organisations to experiment with and learn about generative AI in a structured framework, with guidance from AI experts and industry mentors.

Over 16 weeks these publishers will run experiments on content, product and revenue using Google’s tools, including Gemini, Pinpoint, and AI Studio. Participants will collaborate with Bastion to design, run and implement their experiments, utilising its experimental framework.

Says Uma Patel, Google News Lab lead: “Publishers in Australia are coming to Google seeking guidance and tools on how to take advantage of generative AI, which is at the core of many of our products. The GNI AI Workshops will continue our strong history of working with the news ecosystem to grow their audiences by understanding digital tools, including AI.

“The more publishers start experimenting with the technology, the more they will understand which opportunities are most valuable and how to maintain editorial control in their processes.”

The program will:

• Inspire news organisations to create impactful editorial and business experiments through training sessions focused on examples of Google’s generative AI products, expert advice from Google’s product team, and industry-leading speakers.
• Design and execute experiments using AI tools, with news organisations supported by industry expert mentors and Bastion’s team.
• Showcase impact by tracking results with news organisations, documenting experiments in case studies and creating editorial and safety principles.

Bastion Digital is uniquely placed to develop and launch the GNI AI Workshops program due to its team’s deep news industry expertise, a focus on supporting the sustainability of journalism and hands-on generative AI expertise.

The program is led by Bastion Digital’s director Jenni Ryall, a former journalist, editor and media executive and more recently, strategic news partnerships at Meta, alongside principal consultant Shaun Davies, who after a career in journalism with Nine, BBC and Newshub, most recently worked as a director of product management at Microsoft, focused on AI applications for news content.

Says Ryall: “The information ecosystem is continuing to evolve at intense speed – and supporting news organisations to innovate with the newest tools on the market is essential to equipping them for the future. We provide a tried-and-tested experimental and safety framework to ensure news organisations are comfortable to play and learn with these new technologies.”

The program will leverage the experience of industry advisors including Lisa Muxworthy, the former editor-in-chief of news.com.au, and AI expert Dr Jason Jingshi Li, the founder of technology consultancy Learning Machines, who served two terms on the ABC Advisory Council and led delivery of AI and Natural Language Processing projects at IBM in Australia and APAC.

Says Muxworthy: “AI has the potential to increase efficiency in the newsroom and, with a focus on innovation, introduce more creative ways to connect with audiences, but it’s important to consider when and how the technology is used.

“My role as an advisor on this program is to ensure that experiments with generative AI products are conducted in a manner that benefits newsrooms while respecting their values and maintaining journalistic integrity.”

The Bastion team has worked on strategic projects and transformational change with news media companies across ANZ including Warner Bros. Newshub, Nine Entertainment, The Guardian, Private Media, Missing Perspectives and the ABC. The team is also focused on supporting the sustainability of the industry through scaled programs and strategic support, including its recent Revenue Growth Pilot Program in partnership with the Local and Independent News Association.

Previously, Bastion collaborated with Google News Initiative to develop an experimental framework to support a series of innovative growth experiments with newsrooms including BusinessDesk, National Indigenous Times and Nine Publishing. During the GNI AI Workshops program, Bastion will use the experimental framework with a parallel safety process so experiments proceed with editorial integrity and responsible AI in mind.

Bastion believes in supporting the sustainability of the news ecosystem through innovative programs and transformation projects – and aligns with partners to elevate this work.

Click here to learn more about Bastion Digital and application details for the GNI AI Workshops program for Australian publishers. Applications will open to eligible publishers from August 22, 2024 and close September 10, 2024.