German media company replaces 20% of its editors and photo editors with AI

Indeed, with the rising adoption of AI tools, the fear of this technology replacing humans has also noticed a surge. As per recent information, a well-known Germany-based news organisation, Axel Springer, has announced to lay off approximately 20 percent of its workforce. Reports have further claimed that those who were asked to leave will be replaced by AI technology, which may eventually reduce the newsroom size. 

According to several reports, the company's CEO, Mathias Dopfner, who is a known buddy of Elon Musk, has started a shift towards a "digital-only" strategy and this is speculated to have been one of the reasons behind the reported action. 

Picture editors, proofreaders and other media jobs at risk 

The report continued to highlight that editors, picture editors, proofreaders, and other professions involved in print production will be transformed or eliminated entirely. Bild, one of the most popular newspapers in Europe, will be significantly impacted by this decision.  

Axel Springer is the parent company of various multimedia news brands, including German publications, Bild and Welt, as well as the US news sites, Politico and much of Insider. 

Amid the company’s aim to enhance AI development, Axel Springer notified its staff, as reported by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine (FAZ), that it will regrettably have to let go of colleagues whose duties can be handled by AI technologies like ChatGPT. 

Out of 1,000 Bild employees, 200 are anticipated to lose their jobs as a result of the employment reduction. However, one of the spokespersons from Bild informed that layoffs were not directly related to AI but that AI might be a useful and time-saving tool for editors and reporters. 

AI can take over print media, suggests memo 

In a recent internal memo, CEO Mathias Dopfner expressed his opinion that independent journalism might be improved by artificial intelligence, making it even better than before, or possibly substituting it entirely.

He emphasised the significance of comprehending this transformative shift for the long-term viability of publishing firms, focusing that only those who produce outstanding unique material will succeed. Dopfner also projected that in the near future, AI would be able to completely take over the layout of printed newspapers.