A while ago, I stumbled upon an Instagram post with an audacious claim: AI has an 80–100% chance of replacing journalists. To be precise, I believe they meant generative AI or AI assistants like ChatGPT. However, for convenience—and SEO purposes (hahaha…)—if I simply write “AI” in this article, I’m referring to generative AI or AI assistants.
Before we dive into the three crucial skills a journalist must have, there are two important points worth discussing.
First, human biases always amuse—if not annoy—me, especially when it comes to sweeping statements like the one we’re discussing today.
People who know little or nothing about journalism will probably agree with the claim. That’s because people tend to underestimate skills they don’t understand. Journalism is no exception. Many think cooking is easy—just follow a recipe, right? Yet, becoming a world-class chef takes years of experience and learning. Similarly, some believe being a photographer is just about owning an expensive DSLR, which is far from true.
Second, people tend to overgeneralize, especially when comparing humans with AI. Can AI replace humans in professional work? What kind of work are we talking about? Can AI replace journalists? Well, what is your definition of a journalist? If you ask me, there are endless variations in human behavior and infinite combinations of skills and experiences in every profession. Lumping them all together is just plain ignorant.
I admit that journalism has lost some of its luster in today’s digital era—at least in the eyes of the public. I say this with confidence because I’ve been a journalist since 2008, starting with a print magazine. These days, many online articles or factual videos barely scratch the surface—or worse, are clickbait and completely useless.
But as someone who truly studies the craft of journalism, I wouldn’t categorize those articles, posts, or videos as “journalism.” They are often created by SEO writers, social media specialists, or content creators.
- SEO writers write for algorithms, not for people.
- Social media specialists craft content for engagement and followers.
- Content creators, by definition, cover a broad category. A journalist who publishes their findings is technically a content creator. But not every content creator is a journalist—and that’s a crucial distinction many people overlook.
So, the big question is: What makes someone a journalist?
This ties directly to our main topic—whether AI can replace journalists. To answer that, we need to identify the three essential skills a journalist must have.
1. Storytelling Capability
This is the first and most important skill. Yes, AI like ChatGPT may have better grammar and structure than the average person who doesn’t care about writing. I also admit that, since English is not my native language, I often use ChatGPT to help with grammar, structure, and language.
But writing is just one part of storytelling.
Take the YouTube channel Wisecrack, for example. They teach deep concepts in philosophy and politics using pop culture as a hook—making it accessible and engaging for a broad audience.
Other examples include Aeon.co, The Collector, or Quanta Magazine. They produce meaningful, high-quality content with rich storytelling. Can AI do the same? We’ll revisit this question later.
2. Research Skills
There are different kinds of research:
- Library research: Reading books, reports, papers.
- Field research: Interviews, event coverage, product reviews.
A good journalist should be able to do both. And let’s be honest: AI can’t conduct field research on its own, at least as of now. Its physical limitations prevent it from going into the field, talking to sources, or attending events.
3. Analytical Thinking
A journalist needs sharp analytical skills to uncover stories, interpret data, find relevance, identify credible sources, and more.
Also, in my view, journalism should provide value to the reader—not just meet SEO checklists or engagement metrics. That’s why I distinguish between journalists, SEO writers, social media specialists, and content creators.
So, again—can AI create content that benefits the reader?
AI as a Tool (With an Asterisk)
I’ve tested ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Deepseek. My answer is: Yes, AI can create meaningful content with good storytelling—but with a big asterisk.
As I often say in my workshops, videos, and articles, AI is a tool. That’s the golden rule. Let’s say you own a $5,000 DSLR but have zero photography skills. Can you take an award-winning photo? Probably not. If you give a laptop to a 3-year-old, can they code in Python? Of course not.
To unlock AI’s full potential, the user must also be competent.
As my first boss used to say: “It’s about the man behind the gun.”
Here’s a personal example:
I asked ChatGPT, “Give me 5 ways to make my PC faster.”
The response?
- Upgrade to SSD
- Add more RAM
- Optimize startup programs
- Regularly clean your PC
- Update drivers and OS
For anyone with basic PC knowledge, those tips are painfully generic—just like many SEO articles.
But recently, I’ve been tinkering with my PC and decided to tune my RAM. I’m using mismatched RAM:
- 2x 8GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB @3200MHz
- 2x 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE LPX @3600MHz
Anyone into PC hardware knows that tuning mismatched RAM is tricky. But when I asked ChatGPT for timing suggestions, it gave me 16-20-20-38—and it worked on the first try. It even passed two cycles of the TM5 Anta777 memory stability test.
Many say it’s about the prompt. I’d argue it’s more than that. It’s about logical and critical thinking. Prompting is just the output of sound thinking.
So, Can AI Replace Journalists?
My answer: No—at least not according to my definition of a journalist.
AI needs human users with logic, critical thinking, and context awareness to produce high-quality content—skills that are core to journalism.
AI is trained mostly on internet data. And sadly, the internet is filled with low-quality, SEO-driven articles. If the user doesn’t know better, AI will mirror that junk content—because that’s the “average.”
And that “average” isn’t improving anytime soon, since ignorance is widespread, both among media employees and employers.
Unless AI developers train their models to distinguish between good and bad journalism, that low standard will remain the norm.
So, if your definition of a journalist is someone who just copies press releases, rewrites news, or churns out useless listicles, then yes, AI is already better than those people.
But if we define a journalist as someone with storytelling ability, strong research skills, and analytical thinking, then AI still has a long way to go.
