Axel Springer anticipates significant job cuts as certain roles will be rendered obsolete
Germany’s largest-selling newspaper in Europe, Bild tabloid, has informed its staff via email that it intends to replace various editorial positions with artificial intelligence. Additionally, as part of a separate cost-cutting initiative worth €100m aimed at regaining profitability, the newspaper is restructuring its regional newspaper operations, which is projected to result in hundreds of job redundancies. Axel Springer SE, Europe’s leading media publisher and owner of the newspaper, conveyed in the email to employees that they would regrettably need to part ways with colleagues whose responsibilities can be carried out by AI or automated processes in the digital realm.
According to the email obtained by the rival Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper (FAZ), it was stated that certain positions like “editors, print production staff, subeditors, proofreaders, and photo editors” will undergo changes and will no longer exist in their current form.
This communication comes after the CEO, Mathias Döpfner, announced in February that the publisher intends to become a “solely digital media company.” He expressed that artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT could either greatly enhance independent journalism or potentially substitute it altogether.
He foresaw a future where artificial intelligence (AI) would surpass human journalists in the task of gathering information, specifically in the realm of information aggregation. He emphasized that only publishers who produced exceptional original content, such as investigative journalism and unique commentary, would endure.
Bild did not provide an immediate assessment regarding the potential number of jobs that could eventually be displaced by AI.
Springer is not the pioneering news publisher to consider the utilization of artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, BuzzFeed announced its intention to employ AI in order to “enhance” content and online quizzes. Similarly, the Daily Mirror and Daily Express in the UK are also exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
AI tools like ChatGPT have the capability to generate complex and refined text based on simple prompts provided by users. They can produce a wide range of content, including essays, job applications, poems, and works of fiction. However, it should be noted that the responses generated by these tools can occasionally be incorrect or even fabricated.
Publications such as Men’s Journal and the tech website Cnet have also employed AI to generate articles, which are then reviewed for accuracy by human editors. However, Cnet acknowledged in January that the project had its limitations, as reports surfaced indicating that more than half of the articles had to be corrected after the AI-generated phase.
According to FAZ, the email was endorsed by four high-ranking executives at the newspaper, including Marion Horn and Robert Schneider, who serve as editors-in-chief. The article suggested that comparable actions might be implemented in the future at Die Welt, which is the leading daily publication of the Springer group.
To address unsatisfactory financial performance and recover from a series of scandals, Döpfner had previously initiated significant personnel changes at the tabloid. Over the past couple of decades, the tabloid’s sales have declined from 4.5 million to just over 1 million last year. These changes were aimed at reversing the negative trend and revitalizing the tabloid’s performance.
Following allegations of attempting to conceal sexual misconduct and bullying, the influential daily newspaper, often likened to Britain’s Sun in terms of its sensationalist and highly politicized reporting, dismissed its former editor Julian Reichelt.
Earlier this year, Mathias Döpfner had to issue an apology after leaked messages revealed his efforts to exploit Bild’s influence during Germany’s previous election and promote his personal perspectives, which included criticisms of climate change activism, Covid measures, and former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The German Journalists’ Association (DJV) expressed criticism towards Springer’s plans, cautioning that downsizing at Bild could jeopardize the financial stability of the entire group. The association regarded the decision as not only socially detrimental to employees but also economically foolish.
