Business Insider reportedly tells journalists: OK to use AI and not tell readers (www.theverge.com)

Business Insider has reportedly issued an internal memo from editor-in-chief Jamie Heller telling journalists they may use AI “like any other tool” — including for research, image editing and drafting first versions of stories — so long as the final story is the reporter’s own work. The guidance, circulated as a FAQ, says staff are responsible for the pieces published under their names and that explicit reader disclosures likely won’t accompany articles that merely used AI as an aid; only wholly AI-generated or unvetted content would receive a disclaimer. The move is notable because it’s one of the first mainstream newsrooms to formally permit extensive AI use without routine disclosure, raising questions about transparency, trust and accountability in reporting. Technically, the policy tacitly accepts generative models for drafting and image tools while placing legal and editorial risk on individual journalists and editors to fact-check and correct AI hallucinations, attribution and copyright issues. Business Insider’s shift follows prior newsroom missteps with AI content and sits alongside broader industry tensions — publishers facing economic pressure, licensing deals between Axel Springer and OpenAI/Microsoft, and ongoing debates over the ethical limits of AI in journalism.