Written by robot

In their competition for clicks, media websites are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI). Pop culture website BuzzFeed announced Jan. 26 it will use tools from developer OpenAI to “enhance” and “personalize” its content beginning this year. Jonah Peretti, co-founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, said he wants the company to be at the forefront of a move toward AI-powered content creation. For instance, the site’s quiz section could use AI to generate personalized results for each user.

Peretti stressed that AI content will be quality checked and guided by the company’s writers, and will not replace writers (though BuzzFeed laid off 12 percent of its employees in December, citing “challenging macroeconomic conditions”). The site’s news arm, BuzzFeed News, will not use AI tools.

CNET recently came under fire for publishing over 70 financial advice articles without initially disclosing that they were AI-generated. The company paused the experiment after discovering over half of the stories contained errors. The Associated Press has used the same AI, Wordsmith, since 2014 to produce short stories about earnings reports and, since 2016, sports games.

Community policing comes to smartphone

A crime-fighting app is gaining popularity among police departments nationwide. Atlas One, developed by a small team in Austin, Texas, provides a platform for citizens to send police anonymous tips and for police to respond and send out emergency communications. At least 10 major cities, including Albuquerque, N.M., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Milwaukee, Wis., now use the app.

Atlas One’s location-based alert system allows users to receive alerts when a public safety incident occurs near them. Users can also set alerts for favorite locations, like home or school. The alerts from local law enforcement can include photos, videos, and documents. The app’s developers say they do not keep historical location records or share users’ locations with police. The app also hosts public records and phone directories and lists registered sex offenders. —E.R.

One more way to pay

A consortium of banks, including Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, is planning a new digital wallet app to rival PayPal and Apple Pay. Early Warning Services, the bank-owned company behind the money-transfer service Zelle, will manage the unnamed digital wallet, which is scheduled to roll out later this year. Meant to provide a secure platform for online purchases, the wallet will link to users’ debit and credit cards. —E.R.