Apple News has rolled out new guidelines for publishers about the use of artificial intelligence - as well as changes to code requirements.

This is a significant development that comes as newsrooms around the world experiment with AI in the content production process.

From now on, publications will need to inform Apple News when content has been fully generated using tools like ChatGPT - and add AI in the byline.

So: what exactly does this mean for media outlets right now? And how might this affect AI strategy for Apple and publishers?Apple's approach

Back in the 1990s, some newsrooms were initially reluctant to allow their reporters to rely on Google when researching stories. The internet was fairly new back then - and editors were wary about whether the content found online was trustworthy.

In hindsight, such a stance seems laughable. Search engines are now a vital part of a reporter's toolkit. And with new use cases for AI emerging every week, it's impractical to expect that media outlets won't use it to some extent. Indeed - for data-driven stories such as weather forecasts and stock market updates - automation has been in use for years.

Because of this, platforms like Apple News have no problem with articles where AI has been used in some part of the production process. This means journalists are free to use ChatGPT to devise the structure for a piece, or use tools like Claude as inspiration when they're writing. Large Language Models can be deployed provided a human editor reviews the output before publication.

Things change when content has been fully prepared by AI, and pieces are going live with little to no oversight from sub-editors. Within the metadata that accompanies articles being sent to Apple News, publishers are now being told to indicate when they have been AI generated.

The goal here is to ensure that Apple News knows when AI copy is circulating on its platform - and readers are made aware as well.

What this means for publishers

Clear rules of the road from Apple News mean media outlets can be confident when experimenting with AI - and it also presents opportunities.

Apple’s approach is likely to help give more reach to content that's been created and edited by humans, and this could be reflected in how Apple News editors curate the app.

You could argue that the interests of publications and Apple News are aligned here, as both want users to continue having a great experience - and trust the articles they read.

The platform hasn’t stated that AI-created articles will see reduced reach, and Apple is not yet making these steps a requirement, but our recommendation is to follow them, because even if reach is reduced, it’s better for it to be reduced on your AI-created stories instead of across your whole channel.

What this might mean for publishers in the long-term?

Apple hasn’t released any information on their longer-term plans with AI but they are likely to be building tools to detect AI-created articles, and realistically there are relatively easy ways to spot a change in output – if a publication suddenly increases output, for example.

It further reinforces the need for publications to focus on quality over quantity, and ensure all pieces are carefully edited before publishing.

With AI's momentum showing no sign of slowing down, some publications are now making a greater effort to showcase their team of journalists and editors - giving readers information about their expertise and background.

One of them is The New York Times, which recently unveiled "enhanced bios" that offer an insight into each reporter's education, methods and location. The goal is to instil credibility and trustworthiness, and establish a point of difference from AI content.

In some areas, AI doesn't pose a threat to journalism. Large Language Models can't replicate the shoe-leather reporting that journalists around the world conduct every day, work that sheds light on the unknown.

Apple News is hungry for pieces exactly like this: deeply reported stories that have taken time and resources to produce. Here at FlatPlan, we do more than get your content on this platform - we make sure your articles get the attention and impact they deserve.