“Our trusted news is produced by ABC journalists – distinctive, original journalism that AI cannot replicate”, the spokesperson said.

One anonymous ABC staff member who was part of the AI trial for turning news broadcasts into articles said they were only required to make minor changes, such as turning written numbers into digits and condensing parts of the text, but added that there had been no factual errors so far.

“The question facing every public broadcaster is not whether they will use AI, but how they will shape the use of AI on their terms and in line with their values,” said managing director Hugh Marks and chief people officer Deena Amorelli in an email to staff on 25 June.

The ABC argues that AI is useful in public-interest journalism, citing a case in which AI was used to uncover patterns of negligence in cases of indigenous deaths in custody.

The broadcaster is adamant that the use of the technology will be responsible and not for replacing editorial decision making. However, according to the journalists’ union, management refused to agree to a provision that stated that AI would not replace staff.

Cassie Derrick, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) director of media, also said that AI tools could free up real workers, but expressed concern that job security and audience trust could suffer as a result.

“ABC management needs to work closely with members to ensure the guardrails around the use of AI enhance journalism and don’t undercut it,” Derrick said.

While she acknowledged that staff had won management over on some commitments, the ABC still refused to commit to the provision that AI won’t replace human journalists.

The ABC is also changing its disclosure policy, saying that it will notify audiences when the AI use “could materially affect their understanding” of the content, with a spokesperson saying that AI can be used in ways that do not impact the end content, and that it would disclose AI use accordingly when content is impacted. It will also notify audiences how it was using AI.

AI-generated images would need to be disclosed, but the use of AI for research, such as for interview questions, would not be disclosed.

Michael Davis of the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Media Transition said that while the policy may make the broadcaster seem less transparent, it would make the policy more practical and workable.

However, UNSW Professor Deborah Lupton said generative AI could have a negative impact on the trustworthiness of the publication, adding that participants of her research were worried about AI’s impact on privacy, the environment, education, jobs and information.

The ABC is discussing the changes on 28 July in a town hall meeting.