Fortune journalist Nick Lichtenberg is leading a shift toward AI-assisted reporting, producing hundreds of articles using generative tools to increase output speed and efficiency within the newsroom.

Key Points

• Nick Lichtenberg has authored over 600 AI-assisted stories for Fortune, accounting for nearly 20% of the publication's web traffic in late 2025.
• Journalists are increasingly using tools like Perplexity and Google’s NotebookLM to draft content, scrape local data, and accelerate publishing timelines.
• Research indicates that AI-generated content surpassed human-written articles on the web in late 2024, with roughly 9% of newspaper articles now utilizing AI.
• Major outlets, including The New York Times and USA Today, are experimenting with AI integration, though some instances have resulted in plagiarism and accuracy concerns.
• Industry critics and unions, such as The NewsGuild of New York, argue that AI cannot replicate the human judgment and lived experience essential to journalism.

Why it Matters

The rapid adoption of generative AI in newsrooms highlights a fundamental tension between the drive for operational efficiency and the preservation of journalistic integrity. As media organizations balance increased output against risks like plagiarism and misinformation, the industry faces a critical debate over the future role of human reporters.