Recently, I added a new question to the standard TFS pitch form: “Did you use any AI tools to help develop this story idea, or put the pitch into words?” Considering how much LinkedIn-leaning gobbledygook has come my way in the past few months, I probably should have started asking sooner.
Journalistically speaking, the word salads tossed by popular generative tools are among the least interesting things that AI has to offer. Chatbots aren’t on the cusp of replacing reporters. But for a small newsroom like ours, AI tools are enormously helpful with laborious tasks such as transcription, video editing, and initial scans of massive documents that are mostly numbers.
Also: AI builds apps.
In 2023, when I issued a set of questions intended to spark reflections on culinary aspects of the year gone by, the best I could do was create a janky graphic and attach it to the post as PDF. This time around, I turned instead to Windsurf Cascade, a new AI coding editor I discovered through Jeremy Caplan’s indispensable Wonder Tools newsletter. How cool is this?
For those who don’t recall last year’s version, the Gut Check game is made to be played on holiday car trips or around the family dinner table: My family tried it out on Thanksgiving, and it went over even better than the pumpkin pie. Because while every journalist is apparently professionally obligated to muse about AI in a year-end post, it’s way more fun to think about standout meals, changing tastes, and significant culinary encounters.
Best wishes for a rewarding and restorative holiday season. See you in 2025!
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