Latest news with #Voices'
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Allowing AI to label opinion pieces encourages ‘meaningless tribalism'
To the editor: Measuring views on a left-right political spectrum might be expedient for casual conversations, but views are not one dimensional ('L.A. Times Insights,' March 3). Neither are people. The Times can't elevate discourse by smacking on reductive labels. This will only divide our communities and encourage meaningless tribalism. Last month, the editorial board wrote a nuanced take on complex legal efforts to return art stolen by Nazis during World War II. The piece is now labeled 'Center Left,' which is as insightful as labeling a car 'pre-diabetic.' The same label is on a piece about street design in Culver City. Bus lanes can be earnestly debated without having to worry where your views sit on this toxic left-right spectrum. Good luck labeling this. Adam Rose, Los Angeles .. The L.A. Times does not need AI-enabled ways to engage with readers. It needs to strengthen solid news reporting and continue providing diverse perspectives, including editorials, op-eds, columns, reviews and other opinion pieces. We readers can already engage with AI-driven slop from a plethora of sources. We need The Times to stand up with integrity and do what a newspaper should do. Randall Gellens, San Diego.. Instead of cosmetic additions like adding the Voices label to opinion columns and unreliable AI-generated links to articles, why doesn't The Times return to hard-hitting reporting on what's happening in this country? Jim Lawson, Santa Barbara .. If you're making it clear that this is an opinion piece and the piece has an editor, why the need for this imperfect AI? Why not just publish a variety of 'Voices' or further empower your qualified human editors? Jason File, Santa Barbara .. I'm sure I'm not alone in responding to the latest journalistic catastrophe that is 'Voices' and 'L.A. Times Insights' with severe disdain. This decision is like a Scud missile detonating on the already-smoldering remains of print journalism. Benji Heywood, Los Angeles
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MAGA Newspaper Owner's AI Bot Defends KKK
The Los Angeles Times removed its new AI-powered 'insights' feature from a column after the tool tried to defend the Ku Klux Klan. Columnist Gustavo Arellano's Feb. 25 column reflected on Anaheim's history with the hate group after the city's council did not acknowledge the 100th anniversary of booting four Klan-affiliated council members from the group. Arellano noted how the group's presence in the city was a 'stain' on its history, but that leaders should reflect on the lesson of 'how to combat tyranny and white supremacy — and also that the work is never really done." But the feature produced by AI company Particle—which debuted on Monday for 'Voices' pieces and has been heavily touted by billionaire owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong—included a defense for the group under a banner that offered 'different views on the topic.' 'Local historical accounts occasionally frame the 1920s Klan as a product of 'white Protestant culture' responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement, minimizing its ideological threat,' the point read. Within hours of its debut, the feature was removed from the column. It remains available on other 'Voices' pieces that offer points of view, which includes news commentary and reviews, among others. The Times did not respond to a request for comment. The gaffe was first spotted by New York Times reporter Ryan Mac. The 'Insights' tool allows Times readers to generate an AI-powered summary of the piece's perspectives along with opposing views. It also tries to dictate the political bias of each article. Each summary is topped with a disclaimer: 'The following content is AI-generated and was not created by the editorial staff of the Los Angeles Times." Soon-Shiong, who has tried to court conservative readers, touted the feature on X on Monday, months after he first unveiled plans for it. 'Now the voice and perspective from all sides can be heard, seen and read —no more echo chamber," he wrote. 'Thanks to our talented content management software team running this Graphene platform.' The tool was criticized by the paper's union, which said it 'risks further eroding confidence in the news.' 'And the money for this endeavor could have been directed elsewhere: supporting our journalists on the ground who have had no cost-of-living increase since 2021,' its vice chair Matt Hamilton said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LA Times Pulls AI Tool One Day After Launch for Downplaying KKK
The Los Angeles Times removed its new artificial intelligence feature from one of its articles on Tuesday — only 24 hours following its debut — after it shared a perspective downplaying the Ku Klux Klan's racist history. 'Local historical accounts occasionally frame the 1920s Klan as a product of 'white Protestant culture' responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement, minimizing its ideological threat,' the AI-generated note read. The note was added by 'Insights,' the name of the Times' new AI tool, to a Feb. 25 article on the 100th anniversary of Anaheim removing KKK members from its city council. Writer Gustavo Arellano said the historical decision was an example of 'how to combat tyranny and white supremacy — and also that the work is never really done.' It added another bullet point, saying 'critics argue that focusing on past Klan influence distracts from Anaheim's modern identity as a diverse city, with some residents claiming recent KKK rallies were isolated incidents unreflective of current values.' A representative for the LA Times did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment. The Insights note was added to the story under a section titled 'different views on the topic.' A day earlier, LA Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong said Insights would offer readers a quick way to see a 'wide-range of different AI-enabled perspectives' that may differ from the point-of-view in a particular story. 'I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation.' Insights will be added to opinion stories and articles included in the Times' 'Voices' stories, which include news commentary, reviews and criticism. It will also show readers where a story falls on the political spectrum — spanning from the left, Center Left, Center, Center Right, and Right. The tool's political grades are being generated in partnership with a Bay Area-based AI company, and the Times' is also using Perplexity AI to 'identify the ideas expressed in a Voices article,' the paper said in its explainer on Monday. Interestingly, Insights' insights are not reviewed by editors or journalists before they are published, the Times said on Monday; reader feedback will be incorporated to produce 'better, more accurate results over time,' LAT said on Monday — hinting that Insights was removed from the KKK story after reader outcry. Despite being pulled from Arellano's article, Insights remains active on other Voices stories. The New York Times' Ryan Mac was the first reporter to spot the AI-generated KKK notes. The post LA Times Pulls AI Tool One Day After Launch for Downplaying KKK appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LA Times Embraces AI to Give ‘Political Rating' to Opinion Stories
The Los Angeles Times will be using a new artificial intelligence tool to give a 'political rating' to its opinion stories and other articles, owner Patrick Soon-Shiong announced on Monday. LAT's new AI feature, dubbed Insights, will show readers where a story falls on the political spectrum; there will be five options: Left, Center Left, Center, Center Right, or Right. Beyond opinion stories, Insights will also grade Times' 'Voices' stories, which include news commentary, reviews and criticism. 'The purpose of Insights is to offer readers an instantly accessible way to see a wide range of different AI-enabled perspectives alongside the positions presented in the article,' Soon-Shiong said. 'I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation.' Insights' political grades will be generated in partnership with a Bay Area-based AI company. The LA Times will also be using Perplexity AI to 'identify the ideas expressed in a Voices article,' as well as share links to additional sources. For stories with a certain political viewpoint, Insights will offer readers links to sources with different views, the newspaper said on the technology's explainer page. The AI grades and insights will not be reviewed by journalists before they are published. Reader feedback will be incorporated to produce 'better, more accurate results over time,' LAT added. Insights is the latest change to hit the LA Times in recent months. Notably, Soon-Shiong nixed the editorial board's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris last year — a move that led to several staffers quitting. One editorial writer who quit even called him a 'chickens—t' who threw the editorial team 'under the bus.' In January, Soon-Shiong said it has been a 'struggle' to get his newsroom to buy into a more balanced ideological approach, following the canceled Harris endorsement. 'Change is difficult, right? I respect that, and I have empathy for that,' the billionaire told Fox News Digital earlier this year. Last week, more than 40 newsroom employees at the LA Times took buyout offers. Moving forward, the Times is not the only major paper leveraging AI. The New York Times recently announced that its own AI tool, named Echo, will be used to summarize articles. NYT staffers are also being trained on how to use AI to edit their work and suggest catchy headlines and social media posts. The post LA Times Embraces AI to Give 'Political Rating' to Opinion Stories appeared first on TheWrap.
Miami Herald
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Voices Recognizes Standout Voice Over Talent With 2025 Voicey Awards
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / February 27, 2025 / Voices, the world's leading voice solutions platform, just announced the winners of the 2025 Voicey Awards, Voices' annual awards program recognizing outstanding voice over talent across a variety of categories. With human and ethically sourced AI voice actors on the platform, the Voicey awards recognize voice actors at the top of their game across a number of categories, such as animation, videogames, eLearning, and more. "The Voicey Awards are our way of recognizing some of the best performing and hardest working voice talent we have on our platform," says Tara Parachuk, Senior Manager, Brand Communications. "These voice actors have built a strong reputation with repeat clients, and some of them are rising stars getting well-deserved recognition. With awards winners spanning a wide range of languages and categories, the Voicey Awards also highlight the incredible diversity and depth of talent in the industry." The awards are not restricted by location or language; many Voicey Awards winners, including several from this year, primarily perform in languages outside of English, reflecting the global reach of Voices' platform. The winners are determined through a variety of criteria including the number of times a voice actor was hired, the number of favorites received on demos, and other performance metrics. The full list of winners can be found below: Top 3 Awards Best New Demo of the Year: Christopher RoshanBest Female Voice Actor of the Year: Rachael WestBest Male Voice Actor of the Year: David Kaplan Category Awards Animation: Rachael WestAudiobooks: Geraldo CôrtesDocumentaries: Christian Faucher & Lou LamberteLearning: Angela BayehMovie Trailers: Tim SimmonsOnline Ad: Rachael WestPodcasting: Paul BrownRadio: Jim MerkelTelephone: LM FloydTelevision Ads: Rachael WestVideo games: Steven KellyVideo Narration: Rachael WestVoice Assistant: David Kaplan The full list can also be viewed here: About Voices Voices is the #1 comprehensive voice solutions platform, featuring the best talent in the world offering unparalleled quality with options tailored to your needs. Elevate your brand effortlessly with access to new possibilities in the world of voice over with talent, convenience, and AI innovation - all in one place. Voices has worked with major clients including Shopify, Microsoft, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, Hulu, Cisco, the biggest ad agencies and thousands more small businesses. Media Contact: Patrice Aldave | PR Specialist | | 519-858-4224 Contact Information Patrice Aldave PR SOURCE: Voices press release
