AI-generated local news has been part of the Greater Boston scene for a while. Among the more prominent examples is South Shore News, which actually charges a subscription fee for readers who want to keep up with municipal government meetings in the 19 communities that it reaches.
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In just the past month or two, though, I’ve noticed a sudden uptick. We’ve gone from a few AI outlets here and there to a plethora, often competing with organic startup projects. Now Maggie Scales, a reporter for The Lexington Observer, has taken their measure, noting that there are four AI networks in Lexington alone — the Lexington-Concord Courier, Nanopress, Townbrief and GatherGov.
“To put it bluntly, I think it’s garbage,” Jesse Floyd, editor-in-chief of The Belmont Voice, told Scales.