CNBC weighs AI summaries and live transcripts to extend its journalism
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President K.C. Sullivan says the network is exploring ways to make interviews and live coverage easier to search, summarise and tailor, while keeping journalists and original reporting at the heart of its offer.
CNBC is considering how artificial intelligence could help its journalism reach audiences in forms they find more convenient, while keeping live reporting and original interviews at the centre of its offer.
Speaking at Web Summit in Lisbon, president K.C. Sullivan outlined three possible applications: making better use of the network’s data, assisting journalists in creating distinctive material, and adapting how coverage is delivered to viewers. He said, “I’m very optimistic about what AI can do for us.” Talking Biz News reported that one idea under consideration is to use AI to turn interviews with business leaders into summaries, articles and live transcripts, giving audiences alternatives to watching or listening to a full broadcast.
Sullivan has also described AI as a possible aid to research and routine newsroom tasks, while maintaining that journalists remain responsible for journalism. In a separate interview featured by Podscan, he discussed converting live broadcasts into searchable text in real time and then summarising or tailoring that material for different viewers. Such tools could make CNBC’s reporting easier to find and use, without replacing the network’s editorial work.
The approach would build on what Sullivan sees as a distinctive strength: CNBC’s live coverage. He said the broadcaster has no agreement with an AI company, but is assessing potential options. The aim, as described in his Web Summit remarks, is to use technology to extend the utility of its reporting rather than diminish the value of being live.
The wider conference setting reflects how extensively AI now features in business and technology discussions. Web Summit’s own coverage describes a programme spanning AI and other emerging technologies, while a separate session summary examines the technology’s commercial promise and the questions it raises about concentration of power and the resources needed to develop advanced systems. Those themes provide context for CNBC’s interest in applying AI to its own journalism and distribution.
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Source: Noah Wire Services · Original