The New York Times boast all the news that’s fit to print. That news used to be written by humans.
But it looks like the Times is going let bots do their journalism. They’re looking for “a senior editor to lead the newsroom’s efforts to ambitiously and responsibly make use of generative artificial intelligence.”
I’m not kidding. How the mighty have fallen. It’s on their job listings.
Have we reached the end of civilization now?
“This editor will be responsible for ensuring that The Times is a leader in GenAI innovation and its applications for journalism. They will lead our efforts to use GenAI tools in reader-facing ways as well as internally in the newsroom. To do so, they will shape the vision for how we approach this technology and will serve as the newsroom’s leading voice on its opportunity as well as its limits and risks. “
Here are the qualifications for this job, which pays between $180,000 and $200,000:
Specific responsibilities include:
- In conjunction with the masthead, setting a vision for how The Times makes use of generative artificial intelligence related to its news report
- Working with newsroom and company leaders to shape the broader strategy for the application of GenAI across all products
- Managing a team of journalists, technologists and designers who are able to conduct research, develop prototypes and run experiments
- Assessing which GenAI ideas are most promising for The Times news report, prioritizing which ones we should explore first, and determining which ones have high enough editorial merit or other benefits to move into production – and partnering effectively with product teams at each stage
- Representing the newsroom’s point of view on GenAI in collaborative work with the rest of the company, and working with leaders in product, design, and technology to bring ideas from the prototype state to production
- Managing the execution of teams prototyping new capabilities
- Overseeing any wider experimentation with and use of GenAI by journalists across the newsroom
- Staying up to speed with the latest research and developments in the GenAI spacePartnering with engineering and others to vet GenA.I tools, including assessing any algorithmic biases
Basic Qualifications
- Deep journalistic experience, with the ability to make sound judgments about journalistic quality and process as well as standards and ethics
- Technical curiosity and fluency, including understanding how language models work and how to evaluate them in a journalistic context. The ability to code is preferred but not required, but fluency in discussing and engaging with the technology is necessary
- Experience leading or working with cross-functional product development teams
- An ability to manage nimble teams working across simultaneous tracks of work, and to keep projects organized and on track
- Experience serving as a positive partner to cross-functional stakeholders and engaging effectively with leadership about high priority work
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience navigating complex, high stakes projects at The Times or other similar news organizations is strongly preferred
- A creative mindset and the ability to bring a broad vision and big ideas to The Times’s journalistic use of GenAI, and to prioritize work and make trade-offs in support of that strategy
