Politico journalists challenge management over AI use

Politico‘s unionized newsroom is breaking new legal ground in the battle over AI’s role in journalism, setting a potential precedent for how much control journalists have over technological implementation in media. After becoming one of the first newsrooms to secure AI provisions in their union contract last year, the PEN Guild (representing Politico and E&E News) is now alleging that management violated these provisions when deploying AI-generated content for political events and launching subscriber-facing AI tools without proper notification or bargaining opportunities.

The big picture: The dispute centers on Politico’s use of AI-generated live news summaries during major political events and its new Policy Intelligence Assistance tool for subscribers, built with Y Combinator-backed Capitol AI.

• Union members claim these initiatives violate their contract requirement of 60 days’ notice before implementing new technology that impacts job duties.
• The case could establish important precedents for journalistic control over AI implementation in newsrooms across the industry.

Key allegations: The union claims Politico violated contractual obligations by failing to provide proper notice or opportunity to bargain over AI tools that perform work typically done by human journalists.

• Management allegedly bypassed the 60-day notice requirement for technology impacting job duties.
• The AI systems have reportedly produced content with factual errors and inappropriate language without sufficient human oversight.

Specific problems cited: Union members have identified multiple instances of problematic AI-generated content that required correction.

• AI content incorrectly attributed Biden Administration actions to Vice President Kamala Harris.
• An AI-generated report on abortion rights was written as if Roe v. Wade was still in effect.
• Some AI output included inappropriate language such as referring to “criminal migrants.”

What they’re saying: “This isn’t just a contract dispute, it’s a test of whether journalists have a say in how AI is used in our work,” says Newsguild president Jon Schleuss.

The corporate response: Politico maintains it “takes the obligations under its collective bargaining agreement seriously” and will continue to “honor those obligations while also rapidly embracing transformative technologies.”

Broader context: The dispute reflects growing tensions across media as publishers experiment with AI technologies.

• Politico’s parent company, Axel Springer, has established licensing deals with OpenAI.
• The media industry’s AI integration struggles mirror similar battles that have occurred in entertainment and other creative sectors.