Someday we'll ask a machine whether a fact is true, or if a video is authentic or even who created it. That day is coming. Until then, journalists will combine their editorial expertise with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning to speed the creation of content, debunk fake news, and fact check content. But, they won't be outsourcing those decisions to a machine any time soon. In this talk learn how Associated Press is leveraging AI technology to advance its' newsgathering mission.

1. NEWSROOM TECHNOLOGY IN
2020
THE SINGULARITY IS NOT NEAR

3. November 30, 2018
“…Misinformation is not like a plumbing
problem you fix. It is a social condition, like
crime, that you must constantly monitor and
adjust to…”
Tom Rosenstiel, director of the American Press Institute and senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution
FAKE NEWS IS A SOCIAL VIRUS
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4. AP NEWSROOM – AUTOMATION THEMES
November 30, 2018
Validate Content: raise red flags with a disparate
collection of tools and sweat. Chase the best.
Check Facts: manually mine unstructured data
looking for supporting evidence
Create Content: use automation to create video and
text stories
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5. AP NEWSROOM – TODAY’S
REALITY
November 30, 2018
Archive.org
Google Maps &
Reverse Image
Search
http://Graph.tips
http://ctrlq.org/first/
AP TIPS @ 45’30” https://vimeo.com/207035007
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6. November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

7. BREAKING NEWS AND #AI ?
November 30, 2018
Bomb
Van
Suspect
Datasets/Media (71):
• Social identities and
transcripts
• Mortgage history
• PACER (criminal history)
• AP Archives
• LexisNexis
• Credit
• ……
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8. IS IT REAL? CAN WE USE IT?
November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

9. November 30, 2018
“Opinions are split down the middle that the
problem can be successfully addressed in the
coming decade.”
Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center’s director of
internet and technology research.
WILL A SINGULARITY MATTER?
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10. In 2018, with joint funding from the
Google Digital News Initiative, AP began
development of AP Verify
November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

11. AP’s UGC verification process, automated
November 30, 2018
•Search social media
•Search other news
companies
•On the ground research
Discovery
•Find the earliest version
•Assess the credibility of
the source
Identify source •Is the location correct?
•Is the date and time
correct?
•Is the material consistent
with other media?
Verify content
•Ensure it is safe to do so
•Ask them about the event
•License the content
Contact source
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12. AP Verify is designed to help AP and its
customers verify eye-witness media
quickly and efficiently.
The objective is to extend these
capabilities beyond UGC to include
more verification of all content online
November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

13. It is designed to take advantage of
machine learning technologies to help
identify the original source uploaded
content, and its probability of being real.
November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

14. AP Verify will be a tool available to all
newsrooms, across the globe.
The MVP is in development and due for
availability to AP and pilot customers by
Q1 2019.
November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

15. • Established global editorial network with market
leading fact checking capabilities
November 30, 2018
We believe we are uniquely positioned to
achieve this global ambition
• Huge customer base of market leading news
organisations around the world
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16. November 30, 2018 ASSOCIATED PRESS - Not for Distribution

17. THE SERVICE ALLOWS
A JOURNALIST TO
ENTER A URL,
ASSUMED LOCATION,
TIME, DATE AND
RELEVANT TITLE AND
KEYWORDS.
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18. MEDIA ANALYSIS
DISPLAYS UNDERLYING
CONTENT & METADATA
ACROSS SITES
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19. FIND ORIGINAL
CONTENT AND SOURCE
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20. FEEDBACK
MECHANISMS PROVIDE
DATA POINTS FOR
TRAINING MACHINE
LEARNING
ALGORITHMS
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21. Find Source
•Analyze profile across platforms
•Image search across platforms
Match
Content
•Keyframe extraction
•Compare and score
Verify
Content
•Speech to text
•Metadata enhancement
•Image analysis
THREE DISTINCT #AI WORKFLOWS
Video binary
and
metadata
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22. November 30, 2018
* Shift newsgathering resources to strategic work
* Increase use and trust of eyewitness media
* Increase Truth Velocity
AP VERIFY IMPACT
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23. AP’S ROLE IN TRUST &
VERIFICATION
November 30, 2018
1. Set a good example
2. Put pressure on social platforms; partner
3. Take fact checking and trust local, and scale
4. Drive technology and platform innovation
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