# Query: Can AI rewrite poorly written news reports in the inverted pyramid format?
# Background: All reporters are not good writers. There are some who are good news gatherers but can’t write well, and their copies need considerable reworking.
An even bigger nightmare for news desks are reports received from smaller towns. These are written by part-time reporters and have to be rewritten.
When confronted by such reports, news desks face three challenges. One, locate the news point and write the lead; two, restructure the report in the inverted pyramid format; and three, remove bias and correct grammar errors. The best editors on the news desk are assigned this thankless task, and they hate it.
The question is: Can AI be assigned the task of rewriting these badly written copies?
Three different experiments were conducted to establish the rewrite capabilities of AI. The first was simple. The copy needed simple restructuring. The second required AI to locate the news point in a developing story and rewrite the report. The third required AI to spot and weed out bias.
# Experiment I: This was the simplest. ChatGPT was fed a simple report where the news point was not buried deep in the copy; only the sentences were unconnected. To pass the test, AI was required to:
a) Find the news point and write the lead
b) Reorganise and restructure the sentences
c) Give shape to the news report
The report submitted to ChatGPT with the prompt, the rewritten report and my findings are given below.
# Prompt: Rewrite the information given below for being published on a news website.
{The buses will be pink in colour. Only women will be able to use them. They are being procured by the UP State Road Transport Corporation. By April, they will start running in Noida and Greater Nodia. There will be only four such buses. The buses will be fully air-conditioned. They will have a female driver and a female conductor. They will have CCTV cameras and a GPS system. Each bus will also have a panic button that passengers can press in case of an emergency. The button will send a signal to the control room in the depot, from where the district police can be contacted. According to Anurag Yadav, assistant regional manager at the Greater Noida depot, “The central government has given funds of `83 crore to the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) from its Nirbhaya Fund to procure 50 AC buses for women in the state, four of which will be for women in Noida and Greater Noida. Only these buses will be pink in colour and meant for women only.”}
# Report rewritten by AI
NOIDA: In a progressive move aimed at ensuring safer and more comfortable commutes for women, the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) is set to introduce exclusive pink buses in Noida and Greater Noida starting April.
The distinctively pink buses, procured under the Nirbhaya Fund, will cater exclusively to female passengers. With a total of four buses slated for deployment in the region, these vehicles will boast fully air-conditioned interiors, ensuring a pleasant journey even during scorching summers.
What sets these buses apart is not just their colour but also their staffing. Each pink bus will feature a female driver and a female conductor, adding a layer of comfort and security for women passengers. Furthermore, equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS systems, and panic buttons, these buses are designed to prioritize passenger safety.
Anurag Yadav, assistant regional manager at the Greater Noida depot, emphasized the significance of this initiative, noting that the central government allocated ₹83 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund to procure 50 AC buses for women across Uttar Pradesh. Out of these, four will serve women commuters in Noida and Greater Noida exclusively.
The panic button installed in each bus will serve as a vital safety feature, allowing passengers to alert authorities in case of emergencies. Once activated, the button will trigger an immediate signal to the control room in the depot, enabling swift response from district police personnel.
With the introduction of these pink buses, authorities aim to foster a safer and more inclusive public transport environment, prioritizing the needs and security of women commuters in the region.
# My findings:
- AI was able to locate the main news point and build a lead around it. It also gave it context by using a subsidiary clause explaining the purpose of the scheme.
- The sentences were well written; there was smooth transition from one point to another; each paragraph was complete in itself; there were no spelling or grammar errors; and the report read like a well-structured story.
- Interestingly, AI picked up the full form of UP State Road Transport Corporation from a reference later down in the report and used it in full in the first reference along with its abbreviation, very much like a rewrite editor would do.
- Another smart reference was about Nirbhaya Fund. The information that the buses were being procured from money sanctioned under Nirbhaya Fund was part of a quote given in the latter part of the story. AI brought it up in the second paragraph.
- The only questionable change was the paraphrasing of the quote. There was only one quote in the report, but AI chose to paraphrase it. The facts were not altered though the structuring could have been better. Most editors would have preferred to retain the quote.
# Bottomline: AI can rewrite reports that are simple and straightforward, and where the only requirement is restructuring.
# Tomorrow: Rewrite Part II: What AI cannot rewrite
Read also:
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AI can spot the 5Ws and H much like humans
Editors can depend upon AI to write news headlines
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