Tools
the tools, services and ai solutions you use
Every newsroom already runs on a stack of tools, and AI features are now folded into many of them, sometimes without notice. This card asks teams to take stock of what they actually use, from transcription to search to writing aids, and to see where AI sits inside that mix. A clear inventory is the starting point for any honest conversation about AI.
Questions to explore
- Which tools in your daily workflow now include AI features, and did you choose them for that reason?
- Where does the data you put into these tools go, and who can access it?
- Which tasks are you handing to a tool that you used to do by hand?
- How do you decide whether a new AI tool is worth adopting across the newsroom?
- What would happen to your reporting if one of these tools stopped working tomorrow?
Expert voices
“Avoid overwhelming staff with too many tools at once. Just because you can do it does not mean you should.”
“Have participants test different tools on the same task. What they learn from the comparison is the real lesson.”
“Many journalists will not pay for tools, so they constantly switch between free services and workarounds and get very different outcomes each time. That is the low-resource reality.”
“Avoid toy syndrome: do not subscribe to every AI tool on the market. Look for tools that solve a real problem, or you end up with AI tool fatigue.”
Things to consider
- List the tools you use before judging them, since many people underestimate how many touch AI.
- Note which tools handle sensitive source material and check their data terms.
- A free tool can carry hidden costs in privacy, lock-in, or reliability.
Pull Tools when it is relevant and set it aside when it is not. Pair it with the other AI Conversations cards, lay them out on a table, and use the questions above to get everyone on the same page. Capture what you discuss on sticky notes or in a shared doc.
More AI Conversations cards
