Axel Springer reorganizes many processes across the group and fully relies on “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) or artificial intelligence (AI). In the so-called “premium group”, all journalistic content is now to be created using AI. Under the roof of the so-called “Premium Group“, the Springer brands “Politico“, “Business Insider” and “Welt” were summarized.
Springer board member Claudius Senst, CEO of the “Premium Group”, announced a “new chapter” for the company in an email to the workforce that the Tagesspiegel could see. The media insider industry portal first reported on it.
Five-point plan for almost all trades
Table of Contents
According to Mail, Senst obliges the journalists of the “Premium Group”, but apparently also the non-editorial trades, to use the massive and primary use of artificial intelligence with almost all daily work routines.
It is our content. It is our work.
Springer board member Claudius SENSTCEO of the “Premium Group”
His five-point plan demands from the editors instead of using Google Chatgpt as “Standard for Research, Ideas and Fast Answers”. Search engines should only be used if Chatgpt’s results were not convincing. All articles, papers, concepts, presentations and offers should also go through a AI test in the future and “every routine task” should be automated.
Senst demands for new tasks and processes: For everyone in the “Premium Group” new process or task, journalistically or outside-editorially, a “AI prototype” will be created in the future. Only if the automation does not provide useful results would “new jobs or budgets” be approved. That sounds: Fewer employees, more technology.
In the fifth and last point of his plan, Senst apparently tries to capture possible discomfort of the employees. The AI should “not generate content deserts,” writes Senst. He emphasizes: “It is our content. It is our work.”
“The mood is at the zero point”
The five-point guideline is right in the workforce: “The mood in the editorial offices is at zero. There are some big names like Paul Ronzheimer or Robin Alexander, who are pushed and kept with top contracts. But who can see whether they can not stay elsewhere,” says an employee from Springer’s “premium group” to the daily mirror.
With his new regulations, Senst implements the strategy of Springer company boss and major shareholder Mathias Döpfner. At an internal management conference in June, he announced that he wanted to double the goodwill within five years. The focus is on artificial intelligence-based journalism, the expansion of the marketing platforms and the development of new growth fields. The print business is no longer a priority.
© dpa/Sebastian Gollnow
As part of the bundling of “Politico”, “Business Insider” and “Welt” to the Springer- “Premium Group”, a lot of staff has so far been mined. According to information on daily mirrors, employees and volunteers are increasingly complaining about the increasing work compression, lack of appreciation and lack of feedback on the part of the superiors. The “Welt” works council had also resisted the fusion to the “premium group” for a long time and massively.
Again “talk more and more directly together”
Senst asks for understanding for the “uncertainty and ambiguity”. “The process has asked all of us very much,” he writes, announcing that in the future they want to “talk more and more directly”.
Some are also concerned about the massive implementation of chatt in the company processes. They fear that one could make yourself too dependent on a single company. This is what Springer employees who do not want to be quoted say, the Tagesspiegel. Particularly striking in this context: Chat-Gpt-CEO Sam Altman will be awarded the Axel Springer Award in September.
I think the idea that you can save on human intelligence with AI in everyday editorial life is naive. The digital revolution requires more investment in human journalistic expertise than less. We need these specialists who classify and explain critically.
Mika BeusterFederal Chairman of the German Journalist Association (DJV)
In the past, this award has already been awarded to Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. The latter is a friend of Döpfner and was allowed to operate AfD election campaign in Springer’s world. The Springer CEO has always been looking for proximity to the US tech entrepreneurs. His son Moritz Döpfner works as a Chief of Staff for the controversial Trump-related investor Peter Thiel.
The US media journalist Ben Smith from the “Semafor” portal recently analyzed, Döpfner Care close contacts “in the small world of the new right leader”. AI plays an important role in their strategists. Industry representatives, on the other hand, see the developments at Springer with concern.
“Manipulation must be prevented”
“Artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool, also for editorial offices when it comes to relieving routine tasks or evaluating large data records,” says the Federal President of the German Journalist Association (DJV), Mika Beuster, Tagesspiegel. However, there must be clear rules. “One of them is that it must always be marked when journalistic contributions have been used to use AI, otherwise credibility is in danger.”
Too often is a “black box” in which it is not clear how the algorithm came to its conclusion, Beuster continues. “Manipulation has to be prevented.”
The journalist representative has doubts about the five-point plan for the Springer “Premium Group”: “The idea that you can save with AI in everyday editorial intelligence. I think naive. The digital revolution requires more investment in human journalistic expertise than less. The audience does not want to be informed by robots, but by people.
