A California bill that would have required Big Tech platforms to pay news providers for their content has made a significant evolution this week in Sacramento as lawmakers announced a deal that will fund newsrooms in the state and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and resources to assist journalists.
Announced on Aug. 21 by Democrat Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks and applauded by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the new agreement is a five-year set of initiatives between the state and Big Tech companies.
Part of the funding will support the development of AI tools and the introduction of what is being called a National AI Accelerator, which will purportedly explore new ways that journalists can utilize the rapidly expanding technology, according to Wicks’s office.
According to the statement, the funding will provide “financial resources that preserve and expand California-based journalism” and will be administered by the University of California–Berkeley’s School of Journalism. Funding for underrepresented outlets in “news deserts,” or areas where journalistic coverage is sparse, will be prioritized.
“California lawmakers have worked with the tech and news sectors to develop a collaborative framework to accelerate AI innovation and support local and national businesses and non-profit organizations,” Kent Walker, president of global affairs and chief legal officer for Google parent company Alphabet, said in a statement.
For some journalists, however, the fear of AI eventually replacing them lingers.
The guild represents hundreds of journalists in southern California, Arizona, and Texas.