Microsoft is gearing up to integrate AI technology at Microsoft News. As part of the development, Microsoft News has reportedly sacked over 50 editors who primarily work for the MSN.com division. The Redmond-based software giant has adopted AI-based systems to pick news from the various systems for display on the MSN portal.
The reports suggest that over 50 employees are affected in the USA as a result of the transition. The employees are not directly recruited by Microsoft but by a third-party staffing agency such as Aquent and MAQ Consulting. According to analysts, the quality of news will suffer in the AI-based news aggregation system.
This move will allow fake and misleading news to be curated on MSN since there are no humans to verify the source. It is important for a company like Microsoft to verify the credibility of the news before publishing on popular portals like MSN. You should note that MSN.com is a top destination for all kinds of news in the USA. It has claimed to reach 500 million people in 140 countries.
Microsoft News will make use of the AI to scan content across the web. Moreover, AI technology understands parameters such as category, tags, topic type, opinion content, editorial content, freshness including potential popularity. The user interface will present the content to the editors employed by Microsoft.
The AI algorithm developed by Microsoft automatically suggests appropriate images to sync and pair with content to bring real stories to life. The editors will then curate the top stories throughout the day across a wide range of topics. The ultimate purpose is to enable readers to get the taste of the latest news from the best and trusted sources. Microsoft has been involved with the removal of unwanted manpower, which costs over $40 per hour each.
Commenting on the development, Microsoft spokesperson revealed to us that like all companies, the management evaluates our business on a regular basis. The end result will increased investment in some places and re-deployment in others. The company also added that the latest decision to deploy AI-driven systems is not because of the current pandemic.
Microsoft has been involved in spreading the use of AI to enhance the efficiency of the content. However, the new technology has brought tears among employees who had worked for the company. The change is inevitable and we have to realize the fact that technology will drive the future to create rich and compelling content.
