AI + Automation Lab

AI + Automation Lab

Interdisciplinary team at Bavarian Broadcasting (BR) AI + Automation Lab

Since 2020, the AI + Automation Lab is working as a editorial office within Bavarian Broadcasting. The interdisciplinary team publishes stories and products at the crossroads of journalism, computer science and product development. Here you can find out which topics are important to us and how you can contact us.

AI & Automation Lab Team Juli 2023, v.l.n.r: Sebastian Bayerl, Philipp Gawlik, Katharina Brunner, Robert Schöffel, Cécile Schneider, Uli Köppen, Steffen Kühne, Marco Lettner, Rebecca Ciesielski, Max Brandl, Marco Lehner, Constanze Bayer, Jörg Pfeiffer | Picture: BR to the article Working across disciplines Our team

Machine learning experts work together with data journalists, designers and product developers. The AI + Automation Lab develops stories and products spanning many disciplines. [more]

Our focus

Die Funktionsweise des Pre-Crime-Algorithmus: aus Daten individuelle Risiko-Prognosen errechnen. | Picture: BR/WDR/Kloos & Co. Medien Investigate AI Algorithmic Accountability Reporting

We critically review the use of algorithms through technical investigation procedures (Algorithmic Accountability Reporting), challenge them in an investigative manner and encourage a public debate on our findings.

Der Lautsprecher Amazon Echo | Picture: picture-alliance/dpa Development AI-powered formats and products

Everyone should benefit from innovations such as automation and machine learning: We want to offer novel and regionalized content for the BR audience and support journalist’s work with AI.

Published

Personalisierte Audio-Nachrichten on demand | Picture: BR, Bruce Mars/Unsplash <!-- --> BR Regional-Update prototype released User-centric audio news with AI

What if radio news was tailored to you personally? With the ability to skip and on demand? The AI + Automation Lab is working on just such user-centric regional news. Here we’re outlining the idea behind the project, the method and our learnings. [read more]

Mobile phone recording | Picture: BR <!-- --> Technical Investigation Are Our Phones Spying on Us?

It’s hardly surprising that app manufacturers and especially the major social networks vehemently deny that they are eavesdropping on us for advertising.We used reverse engineering techniques to gain more clarity and discovered some disturbing details. [Medium]

Karten und Symbole | Picture: Alina Constantin / Better Images of AI / Handmade A.I. / CC-BY 4.0 <!-- --> Polis Blog Can AI Really Write Like a Human?

There are different technical approaches in natural language generation. We compare three methods that we have used in the lab specifically for journalistic use cases, including neural system GPT-3. [more]

Coverbild mit Distille | Picture: BR, Distillation equipment by Wellcome Collection (via europeana.eu), published under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 license <!-- --> Journalism AI Collab 2021 Generating Fact Boxes with AI

Can a neural language model actually write coherent fact boxes from scientific information? Together with the Science Media Center Germany, we have put GPT-3 to the test of writing for science journalism. [BR Link]

Frauengesicht mit Lichtprojektion | Picture: BR to the article Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Our AI Ethics Guidelines

No matter what technology we use, it is never an end in itself. Rather, it must help us deliver on a higher purpose: to make good journalism. This purpose-driven use of technology guides our use of artificial intelligence and all other forms of intelligent automation. [more]

Grafik von Corona-Infektionen, Genesungen und Todesfällen in Bayern | Picture: BR <!-- --> Data automation Corona figures for Bavaria and Germany

The fully automated newsletter fetches the latest figures about the Coronavirus pandemic from the Robert Koch Institute every day and translates them into explanatory texts, regional tables and graphics. [In German only] [Corona-Newsletter]