Announcing the 2023 winners
15 great descriptions of AI tools in action, selected from 100s of candidates representing 80+ publications worldwide.
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EmailIn late 2023 and early 2024, Aspen Digital put out a public call for submissions of excellent descriptions of artificial intelligence (AI) in reporting from 2023. From hundreds of excerpts representing over 80 different publications ranging from student papers to international mainstream press, we chose 15 winners.
Allegheny County has been using the AFST to help screening workers decide whether to investigate or dismiss neglect allegations. (The AFST is not used to make screening decisions about physical abuse or severe neglect allegations because state law requires that those be investigated.) The tool calculates a “risk score” from 0 to 20 based on the underlying algorithm’s estimation of the likelihood that the county will, within two years, remove a child from the family involved in the report. In other words, the tool generates a prediction of the “risk” that the agency will place the child in foster care.
What makes it great
In this excerpt, the authors highlight human users of the tool (“Allegheny County” and “screening workers”), are specific about the tool being used (“AFST”), and explain what the tool is being used for (“to help screening workers decide whether to investigate or dismiss neglect allegations”). The authors also use language appropriate for non-living systems (“calculates” and “generates”) and breakdown how the tool works to make the excerpt more accessible.
What the winners have to say
“Accurate and accessible descriptions of automated systems are critical to demystifying these systems’ functionalities and failures. These kinds of descriptions can help ground conversations about how automated systems work and fail in the real world. Accessible descriptions expand the universe of people who can contribute to and challenge these systems, instead of relying on hype and promises from a small handful of technical experts.”
— The Authors
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