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“I was struck by some analysis that Google has done that shows that the adoption of artificial intelligence can increase productivity by around 20 per cent,” ITV political editor Robert Peston says. If you weren’t paying close enough attention, you’d be forgiven for missing that Peston’s remarks form part of a new advertising campaign he is fronting on his Rest is Money podcast with co-presenter Steph McGovern. Advertising is a vital ingredient of any thriving economy – helping distribute information to match buyers with sellers. It is the lifeblood of broadcast TV, radio print newspapers and indeed, podcasts. It is also not unprecedented for journalists to get involved in advertising. Famously, ex-BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker knew a thing or two about flogging crisps. But a political editor taking cash to read scripts from one of the world’s most valuable companies takes us into new territory. In my view, it is an alarming development. Google, a $3tn tech business, is enormously powerful. Much of its recent stock price growth derives from enthusiasm over its AI investment. A big share of that work takes place in the UK, where its AI unit Deepmind is based. I am a massive fan of Deepmind and the pioneering research it has done. In particular, I have been hugely impressed by its British founder, Demis Hassabis – a true inspiration (he hasn’t paid me to say so). AI, as Peston rightly says, could be the next industrial revolution. It could usher in transformative changes to our economy, upending entire industries and ripping through labour markets. At uncertain times like this we depend on political editors to help us navigate these overwhelming transformations – how our country and our world will change. It is vital that they be seen to give us the full story, free from accusations of bias. In a recent podcast episode, Peston asks whether we are in an AI bubble – whether AI firms have become overhyped. Answers to this question may lie closer to home than he realises.
