BuzzFeed is reportedly planning to use artificial intelligence to personalize and enhance its online quizzes and content, the company told its employees this week.
Jonah Peretti, the company’s chief executive, announced the effort in an internal memo.
“In 2023 you will see AI-inspired content move from an R&D phase to a part of our core business, enhancing the quizzing experience, informing our brainstorming and personalizing our content for our audiences,” he said.
According to Wall Street Journal reports, the company will use artificial intelligence company OpenAI technology for its content. The company is also behind ChatGPT, a language model chatbot launched in November 2022 that has gained widespread popularity for its ability to replicate human communications.
BuzzFeed isn’t the first journalism platform to use artificial intelligence. Tech website CNET has reportedly used an AI tool to generate articles that are later scanned for accuracy by human editors before publication. The platform said last week that the program had some limitations, as more than half of the stories generated by AI tools had to be edited for bugs.
The rise of readily available artificial intelligence has created a number of ethical issues. ChatGPT was used without permission by students in the classroom and was reportedly able to pass exams at multiple universities in a controlled study. Many have questioned whether the technology could replace human jobs, a debate reinforced by its use in journalistic institutions.
The news sent BuzzFeed stock soaring as much as 157% to $2.45 and was on track for its busiest session. Shares traded about 50% higher earlier in the day after a separate Journal report said Meta paid BuzzFeed millions of dollars to bring more creators to Facebook and Instagram.
The deal, which closed last year, was valued at nearly $10 million, and BuzzFeed will help generate content for Meta’s platforms and train developers to grow their online presence, the statement said Report citing people familiar with the situation.
The company said last month it would cut about 12% of its workforce to contain costs.
Portal contributed to this report