SiouxFalls.Business is marking nine years in operation while confronting a technological shift that could shape its next phase. The publication was launched as a digital-only, free product supported by sponsored content partnerships, a model that has helped it grow readership and revenue with support from the Sioux Falls business community. ChatGPT, which launched in 2022, has exceeded 1 billion users. That contrast underscores how quickly generative Artificial Intelligence has become a force in media and business.
Generative Artificial Intelligence is beginning to alter newsroom workflows in ways reminiscent of the transition from print and analog media to digital. The changes are expected to affect reporting, writing and editing in significant ways, even if the early results can feel uneven. At the same time, the technology is showing up across routine professional exchanges. Interview sources have used generative Artificial Intelligence to draft responses intended to be attributed to them, and Artificial Intelligence-generated material has appeared in marketing direction, content ideation and story frameworks. In some cases, the use of the tools is disclosed. In others, it is not.
A practical standard emerges from one marketing contact’s approach: treat Artificial Intelligence like an intern, and do not publish anything that has not been edited and vetted. That framework aligns with a view that the tools can be useful when carefully supervised. Using Artificial Intelligence for proofreading grammar, spelling and punctuation can save time and improve quality. Using it to generate ideas, frame interviews and write finished work raises a deeper concern about what repeated dependence could do to a person’s ability to report, analyze, synthesize and communicate independently.
The larger risk is not just imperfect output but the possibility that higher-level thinking skills weaken when they are outsourced too often. Critical thinking, spontaneous response and creative judgment still matter when there is no tool available to lean on. Even so, the technology’s benefits are seen as potentially greater than its risks if used thoughtfully. The output is already improving, and its evolution appears likely to influence not only one newsroom’s future but many industries worldwide. For now, a cautious approach prevails: do the human thinking first, then review what Artificial Intelligence contributes, using only the parts that genuinely strengthen the work.
