Deeply personal stories are dissected and summarized with machine help when Aftonbladet lets AI summarize "Sommar i P1".
If we don't test, I think we'll be left behind pretty quickly, says Hanna Olsson Berg at Aftonbladet.
Last fall, Aftonbladet announced that the newspaper is making a major investment in implementing AI in its journalism.
By the summer of 2024, the work has developed to also summarize the "Sommar i P1" episodes that started broadcasting on Midsummer Day.
Hanna Olsson Berg, head of Aftonbladet's breaking news desk, tells TT that it's about saving time for the newspaper's employees – and for readers:
If they want to keep up with how the summer talk was without having to spend the time listening to it, they can get that guidance here. It's not supposed to answer whether it was good or bad, because AI can't answer that.
"Not perfect"
Bibi Rödöö, program manager for "Sommar i P1", thinks it's clear that the AI-generated summaries are not written by a human.
"I've also read other articles in Aftonbladet about the summer programs written by journalists, and there's a big difference in how they express themselves about the program. Especially when the content is sensitive and strongly moving, like in Birgitta Ohlsson's 'Sommar'", she writes in a text message to TT.
Hanna Olsson Berg says that the AI-assisted summaries are not intended to completely replace Aftonbladet's reviews of "Sommar i P1". Just Birgitta Ohlsson's summer talk is an example of an episode that has also been reviewed by an employee, and more will follow.
That must be done by a human. The critical assessment is a completely different genre. This is like comparing it to a fact box. It's a simple way into the material.
But it's a prioritization issue, and the time gain that occurs when AI listens to and summarizes "Sommar i P1" is significant, she says.
This is an exploration, and it's not perfect. I understand that it can evoke feelings in the industry, but if we don't test, I think we'll be left behind pretty quickly.
"Has the hardest time with"
In the summary of Friday's summer talk, with journalist and author Lasse Berg, the part about his daughter's death was summarized with the headline "Oh damn factor".
TT: What do you think about it in retrospect?
What AI has the hardest time with is valuing emotions. That's why we also removed a moment that we had that we didn't think became good. And if there are other parts that didn't become good, we're looking at it continuously, says Hanna Olsson Berg.
The entire paragraph under the subheading in question was removed from Aftonbladet's website on Friday. A similar removal has been made of the last paragraph of Birgitta Ohlsson's summer talk from June 25.
Summaries of "Sommar i P1" in selection, signed Aftonbladet's AI tool:
Lasse Berg:
"The program begins with a story about an euphoric experience in South Africa, where the storyteller was with his wife and close friends. In the midst of this happiness, they received the news of their daughter Linda's sudden death in Uppsala, which turned their joy into deep sorrow."
Vivi Wallin:
"Vivi tells about how her dad disappeared from her life and how she as a child longed for him. A reunion in New York as a teenager led to disappointment when she realized her dad wouldn't become the parent she dreamed of."
Birgitta Ohlsson:
"Throughout the summer talk, Ohlsson reflects on the unpredictability of life, how moments and decisions shape our lives, and how she has handled her own feelings of fear and hope. She also discusses existential questions and her relationship to faith and religion."
