Italian newspaper publishes world's first AI-generated edition

Italian daily Il Foglio has claimed to be the first newspaper in the world to publish an edition entirely generated by artificial intelligence.

The publication’s bold initiative is part of a month-long experiment designed to demonstrate the impact of AI on the newsroom and beyond, according to its editor, Claudio Cerasa, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The AI-driven edition, which spans four pages, is included in the regular broadsheet of Il Foglio and is available both on newsstands and online from March 18.

Cerasa explained: "It will be the first daily newspaper in the world on newsstands created entirely using artificial intelligence. For everything. For the writing, the headlines, the quotes, the summaries. And, sometimes, even for the irony."

The experiment, Cerasa added, reduces the role of journalists to merely "asking questions [into an AI tool] and reading the answers." 

The first edition of Il Foglio AI includes a piece on the "paradox of Italian Trumpians", examining how supporters of the US president, Donald Trump, criticise "cancel culture" while often turning a blind eye or even celebrating his authoritarian behaviour.

The front page also features a column titled “Putin, the 10 betrayals", outlining the Russian president’s "20 years of broken promises, torn-up agreements, and words betrayed."

In an optimistic story, an article highlights positive developments in Italy’s economy, pointing to an Istat report on income redistribution, which indicates salary increases for approximately 750,000 workers as part of recent tax reforms.

Page 2 presents a story about the rise of "situationships", a trend where young Europeans are moving away from traditional relationships.

The articles are structured, clear, and free from grammatical errors. However, none directly quote any individuals. The final page of the edition includes AI-generated letters to the editor, one of which poses the question of whether AI will eventually render humans "useless." The response from AI reads, "AI is a great innovation, but it doesn’t yet know how to order a coffee without getting the sugar wrong."

Cerasa emphasised that Il Foglio AI should be seen as a "real newspaper", reflecting the usual content of news, debate, and provocations. However, he also stressed that the publication serves as a test of how AI could work in practice, offering insights into its potential and the broader questions surrounding its use.

“It is just another [Il] Foglio made with intelligence, don’t call it artificial,” Cerasa concluded.

By Aghakazim Guliyev