Seoul Economic Daily (Sedaily) has been named the news organization behind the world's best AI news product, beating out The New York Times and other globally renowned publications.
The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) selected Sedaily's "AI LINK" as the world's "Best AI-Driven News Product, Format, or Strategy" at the Global Digital Media Awards (DMA) ceremony held during the second day of the 77th World News Media Congress (WNMC) at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille, France, on Tuesday local time. This marks the first time a Korean news organization has advanced to the global finals of this competition and won.
In the newly consolidated "Best AI News Product" category this year, finalists included The New York Times' investigative reporting tool "Cheatsheet," Swiss media group Ringier AG's gender equality analysis tool "EqualVoice Assistant," Georgia's JRC "AINews," and the Lebanon-Egypt collaboration "Framing Gaza."
Sedaily's AI LINK is an AI ecosystem in which four services are organically connected: AI NOVA for reporters, AI PRISM for personalized news curation for readers, AI WAVE for converting text articles into videos, and AI GLOBE for translating Korean articles into English. With the goal of "Let News Flow," it uses AI to build bridges between reporters and readers, enabling news to flow in various formats.
The NYT's "Cheatsheet," which made the finals, uses AI on behalf of reporters to listen to podcasts, summarize content, and flag noteworthy items. It is an investigative reporting tool that helps NYT reporters land scoops in the Trump era. The NYT not only distributes it to all reporters for use but also plans to release it as open source.
Switzerland-based Ringier AG's "EqualVoice Assistant" is a tool that analyzes articles in real time for gender representation and identifies imbalances. It goes beyond simply counting gender mentions to read context and tone. Based on a semantic algorithm verified by ETH Zurich, it is also used in newsrooms across multiple countries.
The Georgia Journalism Resource Center (JRC)'s "AINews" is a Georgian-language AI media platform aimed at sustaining local journalism amid political pressure and workforce shortages. It automated international news curation and created Georgia's first AI anchor to protect at-risk reporters. It is cited as an example of how AI can also contribute to press freedom. "Framing Gaza," a collaboration between Lebanon's "Daraj" and Egypt's "Saheeh Masr," compares the differing frames used in Gaza coverage across media outlets. It structured roughly 25,000 Gaza-related articles from 16 English-language outlets using framing and bias indicators.
The judging panel for the top selection comprised 61 judges, and the review was conducted rigorously. This year, 811 entries were submitted from 78 countries, with 278 passing regional finals. After additional evaluation by the global judging panel, only 50 advanced to the global finals across 12 categories. WAN-IFRA presented its judging criteria as "everyday operations, not novelty, ethics, or experimentation."
Sedaily's other finalist entry, "AI PRISM," competed against three Financial Times entries, with the win going to the UK's FT for "The AI Shift." It was the first time the FT has received this award.
AI LINK was launched through the Korea Press Foundation's 2024 Digital Media Service Development Support Project and was built on the AWS platform with support from the AWS Jump Start program.
"Strong editorial values and innovation are not opposing forces," WAN-IFRA CEO Stig Ørskov stressed. "When technology is used responsibly, the relationship with readers deepens." Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), who served as a judge, said, "Trust in verified information is more important than ever," adding, "This year's winning works demonstrated that potential through sophisticated reporting and format innovation."
Sedaily's AI LINK was selected as the World Association of News Publishers' top "AI News Product." By Woo Seung-ho, Marseille.
