Pragmatics of Artificial Intelligence: Freelance Journalists Reshape the Approach to Rewriting

The digitization process is transforming communication strategies in media and journalism. Freelancing has gained increasing popularity, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. In late 2022, the media sphere faced a new challenge – the rapid development and popularization of artificial intelligence. The article examines the use of neural networks for text generation by both staff journalists and freelancers, proposing the hypothesis that freelancers are more proactive and quicker to adopt new technologies for streamlining routine tasks, especially in the area of rewriting. To test the hypothesis, the authors conducted multiple surveys, expert interviews, and an analysis of job postings. The findings support the hypothesis: freelance journalists are significantly more likely than their staff counterparts to leverage artificial intelligence. Moreover, employers/clients are increasingly inclined to expect these skills from remote workers rather than those based in offices. The authors suggest that this trend reflects a growing propensity to delegate routine tasks to artificial intelligence, a shift that is likely to encompass most media professionals over time.