Democracy AI Tool Delivers Hyper-local Content For Stuff Group

A customised AI tool which assists accurate reporting of public documents such as council meeting minutes, submissions and Government reports at speed and scale is being trialled by Stuff Group.

The Democracy AI tool gives journalists the ability to scan, prioritise and report on hyper-local decision-making documents in great volume, so that communities have a much clearer view of what is happening in their local bodies.

Stuff Masthead Publishing Managing Director Joanna Norris says the AI tool requires keen oversight from journalists but allows for far greater coverage of important democratic processes.

“Democracy is the power of people to participate in decision making, but without knowing exactly what is happening where and when, that power is diluted,” she says.

“Our trials of this GPT tool, which uses official council and government documents as source data to scan for news and decision making, has shown how we can streamline some aspects of the news gathering and writing process, allowing our reporters to focus on polishing and adding depth to the stories.”

Waikato Times Editor Jonathan MacKenzie says while initially sceptical, he has been amazed by the speed at which his reporters can work when assisted by AI.

“We have 11 local authorities in our coverage area so this tool is a win-win for our widely dispersed audience and the newsroom,” he says. “It’s like having an army of worker bees happily going about their toil, allowing our reporters to focus on more complex and meaningful stories that provide context for readers in their everyday lives.

“It’s far better for my staff to be out talking to people and digging for stories than stuck behind a desk reading a council agenda. In my experience the best journalism is done when there's more time for prospecting in the field and that’s what AI support affords us.”

The Democracy AI tool has been trialled for several weeks, producing content which is always cross-referenced with source documents by journalists. After the trial period, the team is preparing to use the content in print.

The tool can edit stories to varying lengths and formats, write summaries and headlines, allowing a seamless transition from digital to print. In the new The Waikato Local title, the tool is driving a column called ‘Ratepayers’ Roundup’.”

“AI is a powerful tool for journalists, eliminating time-consuming manual processes and allowing reporters to focus on the high-impact investigative journalism, local human interest stories and analysis that AI can’t deliver,” says Norris. “It brings the kind of efficiencies other technology advances have over the years. I’m old enough to remember when email came to our newsrooms - this feels as transformative.

“But we need to ensure we are using it in the right way, with clear checks and balances, comprehensive training for our teams and ensuring every piece of content adheres to our Editorial Code of Practice and Ethics. That includes telling our audiences where and how AI is used.”

The tool was developed by Norris while participating in an AI for Business programme by Section with a cohort of New Zealand business leaders.

When the two-month pilot is complete, the Stuff team will continue work to improve the tool before assessing roll out to further newsrooms in the group.

Says Norris: “Our mission is to help make Aotearoa better and there is no better way to do this than by finding innovative, responsible ways to hold our public representatives, councils and Government to account.

“This is AI for the people, improving the hyper-local news we publish and allowing our journalists to focus on the unique content AI cannot deliver.”

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