The MicroFact team pitching their prototype at FutureWeek22.
This prototype was created as part of the final course (MIX250) of Media- and Interaction design at Universitetet i Bergen. The MicroFact team collaborated with the Norwegian startup company Factiverse. Factiverse is based in Oslo and Stavanger, and are currently working on a number of tools that utilise artificial intelligence in order to fight misinformation. Their aim is to be a preferred tool for leading journalists and decision makers.
The challenge assigned to the students by Factiverse was to design an AI tool that helps journalists contextualise their articles with MicroFacts, without disrupting their workflow. New expectations for media presentation and content could mean an unwelcomed increase in journalists' workloads. Time is a scarce resource in the typical newsroom. The team wanted to one expand the arsenal of content and functionalities, while minimizing the amount of extra work for already overworked journalists.
Vegard Feste, Marie Søvik Bakkevold, Sebastian Taylor, Valerie Joanne Halvorsen, Jonas Gripsrud Hjelmeland and John Le came up with the solution MicroFact. Artificial intelligence may be part of the answer, and the MicroFact-tool demonstrates some of the ways we can utilise AI to alleviate that pressure.
The MicroFact toolkit automates part of the process of adding MicroFacts to an article. It integrates directly with content management systems, becoming a seamless addition to the journalist’s existing workflow. The MicroFact toolkit takes advantage of peak AI technology to scan an article and suggest explanations and definitions for words that the reader might be unfamiliar with or would like to know more about.
The AI automatically searches the web and identifies definitions so that the journalist won’t have to manually look them up. The plugin remembers which definitions the journalist prefers and suggests them next time around. The solution also puts the journalist in the front seat, giving them full control to add or skip suggested definitions from the AI. By reducing time spent on mundane and boring tasks, the journalists can focus on what they do best, writing articles.
"Designing the MicroFacting-tool has been challenging, but rewarding, task. Through gaining an understanding of journalists' needs, we feel confident that they can add this additional tool to
their toolbox without compromising their hectic workflow."
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