Boston.com, March 2025
As newsrooms grapple with whether and how to integrate artificial intelligence, some publications in the Boston area have started using a generative AI tool to assist with their reporting. The outlets are all owned by Gannett, which publishes USA Today along with hundreds of local outlets, including many in Massachusetts. Gannet publications in the area include The Patriot Ledger, the Cape Cod Times, The MetroWest Daily News, and Wicked Local.
These newsrooms are now implementing Espresso, an AI tool which helps reporters “draft polished articles from community announcements,” according to Dan O’Brien, an editor at the MetroWest Daily News. The tool is generative, meaning that it uses patterns in existing content to create new content.
