It has started, the destruction of journalism as we know it.
Artificial Intelligence tolled the first peals. As more and more writers explore and experiment with AI, its viability becomes a real concern. AI can produce near-professional and acceptable-quality articles within the blink of an eye. What took a writer hours to create and compile, AI produces in seconds.
It didn’t take long for the destructive power of AI to have effect. Staff layoffs have begun.
Compound the problem of AI with the storm about to hit the Canadian news media with the opposition posed by Google and META. The two digital giants threaten to strangle all Canadian news publication if the Canadian government enacts Bill C18 (The Online News Act) that would legislate news users, republishing the news, will have to pay compensation to the news sources. Google and META refuse.
The repercussions of the above have begun.
First, it began with layoffs by the Bell Network where 1300 writers and news broadcast staff received termination papers: BELL LAYOFFS
Now, National Geographic, long-time global publisher of popular social and nature stories has initiated its first-ever massive layoff of writers: NTL GEO
Where and when the next chop take place?
Since first publication of this commentary, TELUS Telecomm ROGERS have stepped into the fray planning of cutting jobs. TELUS offered severance packages to almost 2,000 employees in May. ROGERS has issued employment statements that are ambivalent: plan to eliminate duplicate and redundent jobs due to its merger with SHAW but states it will increase thousands of jobs in western Canada. Corporate double speak?
