No way are we going to back down from an existential threat like this. Weâre going to fight. [Mother Jones]( MoJo Reader, Did you see [either]( of [those two]( emails last week from David Corn, our Washington, DC Bureau Chief? He wrote that heâs worried about the media making the same dangerous mistakes it did in 2016 and 2020 when it comes to covering the race for the White Houseâparticularly the normalizing of Donald Trump and treating him as a regular candidate. David also asked for your help in [making the most of a $50,000 digital matching gift]( that Mother Jones has been given this month, so that we can produce more of the fierce and forceful journalism needed to counter Trumpâs unrelenting campaign of propaganda and disinformation in the weeks between now and Election Day. Iâm writing to tell you about a worry of my own and another reason why Mother Jones is counting on your support so urgently at this moment: The existential threat that artificial intelligence poses for independent journalism. The other day, I asked ChatGPTâwhich one-third of Americans say they use to get informationâa question about a major political story that happens to be close to home for Mother Jones. I asked: âWhat was the 47 percent issue about?â And here was its answer: The â47 percent storyâ refers to a controversial comment made by Mitt Romney, who was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. In a private fundraising event that was secretly recorded and later leaked to the media, Romney stated that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on government support, believe they are victims entitled to benefits, and consequently, would vote for then-President Barack Obama. Accurate, sure, but with one glaring omission: any reference to Mother Jones, which uncovered and reported the story. The summary contained no links to our reporting. When I asked ChatGPT to âtell me more about what Romney said,â it provided a lot of additional detail and quotes, but still no reference to who first broke the story. In all, it took the AI less than two seconds to provide a thorough summary of the story. By contrast, it took David Corn months to get that scoop. He dug into Romneyâs background in the hedge-fund world, found links to companies that exported American jobs to China, and eventually tracked down the secret video of a private fundraising event. Along with a team of colleagues, David verified the videoâs authenticity, reported additional context, and wrote the story that changed the 2012 election. OpenAI didnât do any work to report the â47 percent story.â They simply hoovered it upâalong with many thousands of other Mother Jones storiesâto train ChatGPT. And thatâs not all. Not only did Open AI use our journalism without pay or permission, they also built the AI in such a way that would not tell users where that journalism comes from or who owns it. Our reporting is copyrighted, but you would never know it from ChatGPT. This is how tech companies have always operated: They build first, take what you want, and ask permission later. Or never, because rules are for suckers, right? Itâs clear that very soon, the way most people get information, including news, will be through an interaction with AI. Reading articles, let alone perusing websites like MotherJones.com, will become a rare thing, much like listening to LPs or watching movies in a theater. With a giant robot poised to strangle the news industry, Mother Jones faced a choice: capitulate or fight for our rights. Weâre fighters, and so this summer, we filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its biggest shareholder, Microsoft. [Donate Now]( Our mission isnât to deliver money to shareholders or a corporate parent: Itâs to make sure people have access to the truth. AI companies do not factcheck, verify, or investigate. They donât pore over documents, file Freedom of Information Act requests, or sit with someone for hours until theyâre ready to tell their story. But we do, and to continue doing it, weâve got to confront this existential threat. That brings me back to the heartfelt pitch that David threw out to you: Will you please help us make the most of the $50,000 digital matching gift? [No matter what amount you send](â$10, $100, or $1,000âit becomes twice as much. Every dollar and every donor really does make a difference. Because supporters like you have our backs, weâve stood up to dark-money billionaires and shadowy charities and even the Reagan administrationâs tax lawyers back in the day, so why stop now? Thanks for reading this far, and for everything you do to make Mother Jones what it is. Our work would not be possible without you. Onward, [Monika Bauerlein, CEO] Monika Bauerlein, CEO Mother Jones P.S. As CEO, itâs my job to make sure the lights stay on and journalists can stay on the beat, and I will tell you, itâs a real challenge. Fortunately, weâve always had supporters who are willing to pay for the journalism they rely on. My hope is that youâll join those ranks today. [Donate Now]( [Mother Jones]( [Donate](
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