As publishing organizations find more ways to use AI, they also need clear policies and practices to ensure the technology is used responsibly.
That was the challenge Editor & Publisher wanted to address as AI became a larger part of its own operations. Since the company covers technology’s impact on media, E&P felt a responsibility to lead by example and became the first publisher to achieve AAM’s Ethical AI Certification, putting its AI policies and practices through an independent review.
During a recent webinar, E&P Publisher Mike Blinder, Editor-in-Chief Gretchen Peck and AAM CEO Richard Murphy discussed what the company learned from the process and shared lessons publishers can apply to their AI governance strategies.
1. Clarify and codify how your organization uses AI
AAM developed its Ethical AI framework after publisher members asked for guidance on maintaining trust with audiences and advertisers when using AI. The framework provides publishers with a comprehensive roadmap for implementing AI responsibly across their businesses by addressing areas such as transparency and disclosures, rights and permissions, human oversight, privacy and data protection, training and education, accountability and risk management.
When E&P began the certification, it had an AI policy. But working through AAM’s framework led the company to take a closer look at its overall governance practices and the impact on its journalists.
“I don’t think it necessarily changed our position on how we were going to use AI,” Peck said. The value came from being able to “clarify that and codify it for our team.”
For publishers with an AI policy already in place, that means determining how well it aligns with actual AI use across editorial and business operations.
2. Make AI governance an ongoing conversation
The certification process also created an opportunity for E&P to hear from staff about how they were using AI and learn their perspectives on where the technology should and shouldn’t play a role.
One contributor expressed concerns about the impact of AI-generated images on its content, while another said AI helped them distill complicated information when preparing for interviews. These conversations helped E&P better understand how AI was being used across the organization while providing an opportunity to establish clearer expectations.
Peck emphasized that these discussions shouldn’t end when a policy is published or the certification is completed. As AI tools and use cases evolve, publishers will need to revisit their policies and practices.
“You have to approach this as an ongoing conversation with your newsroom team and throughout your news organization,” she said.
3. Look for gaps between policy and practice
Implementing a structured governance framework can also uncover areas that may be overlooked.
One gap identified during E&P’s certification involved training and education, which is one pillar in AAM’s framework. E&P works extensively with freelance journalists who have their own workflows and preferred tools. During the review, that raised questions about how the organization would provide ongoing education to a distributed team.
For Blinder, strengthening E&P’s AI governance ultimately came back to maintaining trust with its readers and advertisers.
“Trust cannot be added after an AI problem occurs,” he said.
Want a better understanding of how to implement an AI governance strategy? Download AAM’s Assurance Outlook: Ethical AI report for an overview of AAM’s framework.
