Colombia.- Artificial intelligence can accelerate processes and facilitate tasks in newsrooms, but it cannot replace the work of a journalist. That is the position of the Spanish newspaper El País, which establishes in its style guide that articles must be written by its reporters and not by artificial intelligence tools.
During the conference “50 years of El País: journalism, training and democracy”, held within the framework of the Gabo Festival 2026, the deputy director of El País for Central America and the Caribbean, Javier Lafuente, explained that the media outlet incorporates artificial intelligence solely as a “support tool and never for the writing of its journalistic content”.
“There is no article written by artificial intelligence, there cannot be. Those are the editorial guidelines we follow,” stated Lafuente.
The journalist pointed out that some reporters, especially those dedicated to investigative work, use artificial intelligence to support processes such as information analysis and processing, always under the supervision and judgment of the journalistic team.
He also highlighted that the media outlet has incorporated this technology into other formats, such as “audio narration of some articles, because this feature continues to be refined to offer more natural voices and accents.”
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“Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a valuable ally for journalism, provided that it complements the work of professionals and does not replace the verification, analysis, and editorial responsibility that the practice of the profession demands,” indicated the editor for Latin America and the Caribbean.
