We are frequently told that the coming years will bring an utter transformation of our lives and societies by Artificial Intelligence (AI), with sectors like journalism, academia, and publishing slated for intense disruption. As the author of a recent, compelling essay acknowledges, once you’ve experienced a Large Language Model (LLM) demonstrating fluent articulation, encyclopedic knowledge, and careful reasoning, it’s only natural to assume that industries relying on these skills will be fundamentally reshaped.
But the question remains: transformed into what?
In his thought-provoking essay, David Caswell tackles the difficulty of imagining a radically different future for news—a future that is user-centric, optimistic, and focused on abundance rather than a vague, pessimistic clinging to past models. He suggests that much of the anxiety over AI in journalism is a defensive, “past-oriented” vision that prioritizes the role of the information producer (the journalist) over the needs of the consumer (the citizen).
The true miracle of AI in journalism, according to this vision, is its ability to offer capabilities simply unavailable in any human-staffed newsroom, regardless of size.
This future isn’t just about getting all the news you already want; it’s about eliminating the “unknown unknowns.” AI agents can move beyond simply curating from existing news flows. They will search out nascent stories, synthesize complex data across disparate fields, and tailor information in ways that directly support an individual’s immediate well-being, civic responsibilities, and long-term personal growth.
This is a vision of personalized news at scale that doesn’t just inform you about what’s happening; it informs you about what you need to know to make better decisions in your life and society, revealing opportunities and risks that manual journalism could never detect.
This completely new journalistic experience promises to transform news into a thriving, growth-oriented industry — an engine driving individual well-being and expanding the common good. At Black Sheep Meedia, we could not agree more. We are committed to building such tools and experience for editorial teams to impact the lives of every human for better.
David Caswell, thank you for sharing this bold vision! We look forward to the next essays in the series!