Just realized how much AI is changing local news after talking to my cousin in Boise

My cousin works for a small paper there and said they started using an AI tool called 'LocalLens' to scan city council meeting transcripts. It flags key decisions and writes basic summaries, which frees up their two reporters to actually go out and talk to people. I always thought AI in journalism meant those weird sports recaps, but this feels different. What other small-town jobs are getting quietly changed by tools like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles9461mo ago

Yeah, it's the same for small town legal offices and town clerks. They're using AI to sort through public records requests and draft basic meeting minutes. It takes the grind work off people who already wear ten hats, so they can focus on the human stuff that actually matters.

bettys511mo ago

Wait, are they actually using AI for that stuff right now? I've got a buddy who works in a county clerk's office and he says all their systems are like 20 years old. They're still typing meeting minutes by hand because the software they use won't even talk to new programs. The idea is good, but I bet the reality is most places can't afford the switch or don't trust it yet.

piper_burns1mo ago

Our office tried a pilot program for that, actually worked better than we expected.