Sunday E-dition: Challenges of AI in journalism

By Dave Stoneberg

Dive into the reimagined Sunday E-dition of Napa Valley Features, where you'll find a lively story to start your day, followed by a selection of related articles. Then, enjoy a few laughs with a joke or two, share your wit and creativity in our cartoon caption contest and put your local knowledge to the test with our daily questions. We close with a review of the week's stories and a preview of what's ahead. In addition to supporting our channel by becoming a paid subscriber, you can also help by sharing, liking and commenting on our content.

---

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Good morning. It seems everyone is using AI to help them with their repetitive tasks. As a journalist, I have used an app on my iPhone to record and transcribe phone calls and just discovered another AI website that will transcribe my recorded interviews into text. Both cost me money but save me a tremendous amount of time.

Local firefighters clean up a forest — Submitted Photo

For example, I interviewed Christopher Thompson, head of Napa Firewise, for nearly 40 minutes in a somewhat quiet café on Wednesday, Feb. 7. I used Voice Memos on my iPhone to record the conversation. For me to transcribe that interview would have taken between four and five hours.

I decided to use the AI website Notta.com instead. Once I downloaded the web application onto my laptop, sent the interview to my email and loaded it into the application, which took about 30 minutes, it took less than five minutes to turn the audio into text. I checked the transcription for accuracy (I listened to the interview while reading the transcription), and there were a few funny mistakes – Angwin was Penguin, for example, and the text program didn’t know how to spell Mount St. Helena. Other than that, it was pretty clean.

Overall, with the AI transcription, the whole process took an hour. I’m grateful it was so quick. And the web application is costing me $14 a month for 1,800 minutes of transcription.  

With millions of other people, Joni and I recently watched the Super Bowl, and we were sad that the 49ers lost, even though it was an exciting game. I didn’t like the half-time show (who cares what I think, right?) but liked many of the commercials, especially the VW commercial with both real and AI-generated photos and video. I can’t be certain if the Budweiser commercial with its wonderful Clydesdales was mostly real or if it used AI to create the snowy highways and other scenes, and it doesn’t matter much because it was a great commercial. Was it effective? Not for me because I don’t drink many alcoholic beverages, and if I choose a beer, it’s not going to be a lager. I prefer IPAs.

One of the commercials that was effective for me was from Microsoft that advertised its Copilot AI app for iPhones. On Monday, I downloaded it onto my iPhone and tried it out. Right now it’s free, although it may cost something in the future.

Talking about a new Calistoga ordinance were Millie Pease, from left, Antoinette Mailliard and MaryEllen Hester — Dave Stoneberg Photo

At the time, I had interviewed Millie Pease, Antoinette Mailliard and MaryEllen Hester about a new ordinance — Calistoga Foodware & Waste Reduction — going into effect soon. I opened Copilot and wrote the following: “Write a story about the city of Calistoga passing a foodware and waste reduction ordinance in March 2023. It goes into effect on March 20, 2024.”

The following is Copilot’s response:

Indeed, the city of Calistoga has taken a commendable step toward environmental stewardship! On March 21, 2023, the city council approved new regulations governing food packaging and single-use foodware. This ordinance builds upon the 2021 CA Assembly Bill 1276, which already addressed single-use foodware accessories. The primary objective of this ordinance is to mitigate the significant impact of plastic and other food packaging pollution on various fronts:

• Climate change: By reducing plastic waste, the city aims to contribute to global efforts in combating climate change.

• Wildlife: Less plastic pollution means less harm to wildlife, particularly marine animals.

• Landfill: Decreasing single-use foodware helps alleviate the burden on landfills.

• Litter: Cleaner streets and public spaces benefit everyone.

• Economy: Encouraging sustainable practices can have positive economic effects.

• Community health: By promoting environmentally friendly alternatives, the health of Calistoga residents is safeguarded.

The new rules will take effect on March 20, 2024, allowing businesses a full year to transition to more environmentally friendly foodware. While compliance is mandated by that date, voluntary adoption of these practices is encouraged even earlier. It’s important to note that Calistoga’s definitions of “recyclable” and “compostable” align specifically with Upper Valley Disposal standards. For further details, you can refer to the full ordinance.

Kudos to Calistoga for taking this significant step toward a greener future!

In less than a month, a new ordinance in Calistoga will mandate that local restaurants use recyclable and/or compostable foodware for serving takeout food — Dave Stoneberg Photo

That’s pretty good, right? And other than the editorializing in the first and last sentences, I could see a journalist writing this piece. It seems pretty straightforward and factual, although there’s no attribution to its facts. It’s unknown, for example, who said “Cleaner streets and public spaces benefit everyone.”

Obviously, Copilot did not interview members of Calistoga’s Green Committee, so it couldn’t include their quotes, which were a necessary part of the story. My story was written and then edited by a Napa Valley Features copyeditor before I tried the Copilot experiment. It runs on Tuesday.

My first few graphs are below:

By mid-March a new ordinance will ban the sale and use of all polystyrene, including plastic utensils, foam food containers and coffee cups, often mistakenly called Styrofoam, anywhere within the city limits.

According to the city’s Green Committee, banning polystyrene plastics is expected to have multiple benefits, including reducing litter. Calistoga joins dozens of other communities, including Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland and Sebastopol, that have banned polystyrene.

The Calistoga Reusable Foodware and Waste Reduction ordinance also bans single-use and disposable foodware (utensils, cups, plates, etc.) for those dining in restaurants or on their outdoor patios. It sets utensil and container standards for in-house restaurant dining and for takeout foods. All are mandated to be reusable, recyclable or compostable.”

The use of AI in journalism brings up several questions: Are readers able to tell the difference between what a journalist writes and what is written by AI? Will the journalists and/or editors require the identification of AI-written content? Will AI-generated content be used to replace local journalists? And who is a journalist? Are they spreading information, misinformation or propaganda, or was that story generated by AI?

This issue is not exclusive to journalism but pertains to the entire world. AI will transform how news and information are gathered, processed and distributed, just as every technological advancement has.

Consider the printing press, which could disseminate numerous errors en masse; telephones, where one cannot see the speaker; the internet, posing challenges in data verification; or even predictive text and spell/grammar checks in digital communication. In each case thoughtful humans have remained the guardians of truth. Yes, journalists have historically held a unique role, but defining what constitutes a journalist today is challenging, given the decline of the traditional business model that once supported journalism.

Furthermore, how do we consider the millennia before the concept of “journalism” even existed? Weren’t the storytellers of old also beholden to sharing the truth, regardless of the label? Today the range of entities labeling themselves as “journalists” spans from mainstream news outlets to outright propagandists. So here we are with new tools. Do we use AI to enhance the lives of the people in our community and the world or to spread deceit, mistrust and hostility? AI is powerful, yet it is merely a tool, much like spell-check or calculators. A hammer can be immensely beneficial, but it can also be wielded as a weapon. Ultimately, it is up to humans to decide how to utilize this new tool.

I think the answers to those questions and others are going to be humanity’s challenge in the future.

Dave Stoneberg is an editor and journalist who has worked for newspapers in both Lake and Napa counties.

---

If you found today’s article useful and interesting, you might also value:

• Balancing beauty and safety: lessons in landscaping for Napa's wildland-urban interface

• AI or Real? Count the AI-Generated Pictures

• AI will take your job, eventually

• Napa Valley’s horizon: What our polls reveal

• Lawsuit seeks to stop massive Guenoc Valley resort development

• Napa’s Angèle Restaurant and Bar: a father, a daughter and the power of family

• Millions needed to renovate Calistoga Fairgrounds

---

Levity Corner

"Rupert" by Kathleen Scavone *

A few Jokes of the Day:

1. I told my life partner they should embrace their mistakes. They gave me a hug.

2. What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta!

3. I'm terrified of elevators, so I'm going to start taking steps to avoid them.

Caption Contest

Please include your caption in the comment below. Next week we will include a poll to vote on the favorite response.

Napa Valley Features Graphic

---

Questions of the day:

1. What is the most expensive winegrape per ton grown in the Napa Valley?

2. What seismic fault runs through the Napa Valley?

3. What year was the first post-Prohibition winery built in the Napa Valley?

4. What month does grape harvest typically begin in the Napa Valley?

5. What mountain range divides Sonoma County and the Napa Valley?

Answers below.

---

Last week

Jeni Olsen, founder of Teens Connect, the Napa County Suicide Prevention Council and director of Mentis’ Prevention Division, wrote about the abundant resources available to help those with mental health challenges.

On Monday, Tim Carl introduced Lowell Young, who is an inspiring Napa Valley educator. Young reviewed Kathleen Scavone’s book, “Anderson Marsh State Historical Park,” about a state park located near Lower Lake in Lake County. Also, Liz Alessio, who is running for District 2 Supervisor in the March 5 election, wrote about her background and key priorities.

On Tuesday, Dave Stoneberg examined 100 years of Napa County crop reports and revealed the changes in the Napa Valley. Also on Tuesday, a new contributor to Napa Valley Features, Peter Kilkus, addressed the primary election with a statistical look at election results.

On Wednesday, UC Master Gardener Cindy Watter wrote about gardening with agaves as part of a drought-resistant garden. Pete Mott, a candidate for Napa County supervisor in District 4, shared his experience and priorities in a piece titled “In their own words.”

Longtime wine columnist Dan Berger rediscovered merlot on Thursday and found that, in the right hands, merlot grapes can produce a wine that is unparalleled in beauty and complexity. And new NVF contributor Paul Wagner wrote of the beginning of construction of a new wine education center at Napa Valley College.

As usual on Friday, the Napa Valley Features Weekender was published as a guide to local events and experiences.

On Saturday, our “Under the Hood” weekly column for paid subscribers offered in-depth analysis of the recent surge in winery licenses and wine labels with 50% Napa County / 50% other AVAs, a recent new phenomena. Topics included the local economy, food and wine, arts and culture, climate and environmental issues and much more.

Next week

On Monday, Sasha Paulsen will tell the story of Napa’s Thomas Conlin, a world-famous conductor who will be performing soon in Vallejo. Dave Stoneberg writes about a new ordinance in Calistoga that mandates foodware and reduces food waste in restaurants and other locales that serve food and drink to customers. On Wednesday, a UC Master Gardener writes about an aspect of gardening, and on Thursday wine columnist Dan Berger talks about exploring primary and secondary characteristics in wine. Another wine writer, Virginie Boone, tells the story of Mount Veeder’s Pym-Rae Tesseron Estate and its connection to the late Robin Williams. Friday brings the Weekender, and the weekly “Under the Hood” column appears on Saturday.

---

Answers:

1. In 2023, cabernet franc $10,623.71 per ton vs. cabernet sauvignon at $9,080.28 in Napa County, District 4 (Source)

2. West Napa Fault (Source)

3. 1951. Stoney Hill (Source)

4. August, although in 2015 the first grapes were picked on July 22, one of the earliest years on record (Source)

5. Mayacamas Mountain Range (Source)

---

* "Rupert" is a comic series by Kathleen Scavone. Enjoy this clever and thoughtful work from a talented artist and writer.