Don’t call it a bot: Spotlight PA’s AI-powered election assistant
In July 2023, the American Journalism Project launched its Product & AI Studio to explore the smart application of AI and other technology within local news. The Studio, made possible by OpenAI with additional support from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, is sharing regular updates of its learnings.
Overview: Spotlight PA received support from the Studio in December 2023 to build an interactive, bilingual conversational tool ahead of the upcoming 2024 general election in Pennsylvania, with the aim of connecting new and underserved audiences with trusted, nonpartisan information in English and Spanish. In this progress update, we learn more about their decision to partner with Dewey Labs and a beta test held during the state’s primary election.
Spotlight PA is an investigative, nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom founded in 2019. Its public-service journalism focuses on Pennsylvania state government and urgent statewide issues. Days before Pennsylvania’s 2024 primary election, 200 Spotlight PA readers were invited to the beta test of its election assistant, a new AI tool it hoped would connect readers with answers to common questions about the election.
The tool, created in partnership with Dewey Labs, allows users to ask questions about candidates, polling places, ID requirements and other election topics in both English and Spanish. Using only information from Spotlight PA’s elections coverage and official election sources, it provides direct answers to common voter queries. Spotlight PA’s team can also edit and curate questions and answers for use in the database. Because the tool isn’t pulling information from the open web, not all AI-generated content needs to be human-reviewed before it is delivered to a user. The team, however, continues to review transcripts daily to fact-check and make any necessary adjustments. Christina Bruno, Spotlight PA’s digital growth strategist, says the database contains hundreds of AI-generated and reviewed questions and answers.
Internally, the Spotlight team debated the potential risks of deploying an AI tool related to elections, including how users would react to an AI interface. They also decided to steer clear of the word “bot.”
“We know there are negative associations with the word,” Bruno said. “And I think what we’ve learned from some similar tools that have been released is that those negative associations can be damaging. There is a lot of human input and oversight that has gone into the process and so I really want to highlight those aspects.”
The responses during the early test were largely positive, Bruno said, with users finding value in quickly getting election basics. Spotlight PA will continue adding content and fact-checking existing answers to ensure accuracy for a broader range of questions.
One of Spotlight PA’s challenges was setting audience expectations and dealing with information that is constantly changing and updating that on the back end.
“We’re 90% of the way there,” Bruno said about preparations to launch the tool ahead of the general election.
When Spotlight PA evaluated the responses, it decided not to deploy the tool publicly during the primary election. Instead, the outlet will continue refining the tool with a goal of releasing it in September.
For nonprofit newsrooms considering public-facing AI deployments, Spotlight PA’s approach offers a model for doing so in a methodical, conscientious manner:
- Start with a focused, clearly defined use case that provides clear value.
- Extensively test the AI tool with internal teams and a subset of users first.
- Gather feedback and be upfront about the AI experiment with full audiences.
- Prioritize ethics/accuracy over promotional efforts that could overwhelm or mislead.
- View it as an iterative process to expand AI capabilities over time.
- The process of vetting and discussing the ethical implications will prove as valuable as the tool itself, SpotlightPA CEO Chris Baxter said.
Ultimately, AI tools like Spotlight PA’s voter guide can help newsrooms efficiently distribute critical information to audiences. But rolling them out thoughtfully and transparently is key for building public trust.
We’ll continue to share updates like this on the Product & AI Studio page. Follow us on Medium to be notified of new posts, or drop us a line at AJPStudio@theajp.org.
