By publishing its own AI guidelines, the agency has addressed the topic of artificial intelligence at an early stage. In doing so, dpa is signalling that the company is open to the new technology and is intensively promoting its commitment to and involvement with AI and large language models. Above all, however, there is a common understanding that although AI is being used, the final decision on what dpa publishes remains with people. With the help of an AI intrapreneurship infrastructure, dpa ensures that knowledge, projects and expertise relating to the technology are being shared out among as many people as possible and channelled effectively. All activities are managed and coordinated by the newly-created function of an AI General Manager. The infrastructure also includes AI contributors and AI unit managers, who contribute their knowledge and ensure communication between the different areas. Overall, dpa assumes that artificial intelligence has the potential to have a far-reaching impact on the news business, changing the way news agencies work. The fact that AI activities are managed jointly by the executive board and the editorial board underlines this view.

dpa has underpinned the agency’s basic strategic orientation with various personnel decisions in management positions. The appointment of a new deputy editor-in-chief and head of strategy in the editorial department is intended to further advance the transformation of the agency and develop additional applications for dpa, such as artificial intelligence. In addition, new appointments were made to the management of news aktuell, which is intended to secure and expand the immense economic importance of the dpa subsidiary. In addition, further positions were filled or newly created in order to further develop strategic fields of activity.

dpa’s fact-checking activities play an increasingly important role – both in a strategic and economic sense. Numerous projects and initiatives show that dpa’s expertise is valued as an important contribution to the market and to society. For example, the EFCSN (European Fact-Checking Standards Network) has accepted the agency as a certified member. dpa was thus one of the first media organisations in Europe to be classified as a trustworthy fact-checking organisation, one that meets the EFCSN standards for independence, transparency and accuracy. Furthermore, dpa participated in the platform Fakten-gegen-Fakes.de, which makes it easier for citizens to recognise false claims and disinformation campaigns. Together with MediaWise, dpa has also set up a “Teen Fact-Checking Network” in which young people check claims and share their knowledge with their peers. As part of the “Think Twice” project, dpa is also committed to curbing disinformation and has produced ­a video series with media literacy tips in social media formats.

The successful “Faktencheck 23” programme plays a major role in the verification expertise of the entire media industry. Supported by Google, dpa has trained hundreds of journalists in skills such as reverse photo search, geo-location and video verification. Since the programme was launched in 2021, around 3,000 media professionals have already taken part – mostly from dpa shareholder companies. A special focus in 2023 was the recognition of AI-generated media content such as deepfake videos, voices and texts.

The successful DRIVE data initiative is also of cross-sector relevance. Launched jointly by dpa and the consulting firm Highberg (formerly Schickler) in 2020, the “Digital Revenue Initiative” supports newspaper publishers in setting up sustainable digital revenue models. More than 25 publishers and publishing groups with over 50 publications are now using the data analyses and AI algorithms provided by DRIVE to increase the use of their digital offerings and gain more subscriptions. The NOZ/mh:n-Mediengruppe (including Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag), Medienholding Süd in Stuttgart (including Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Schwarzwälder Bote), Mediengruppe Atenkoffer (Straubing) and Badische Neueste Nachrichten (Karlsruhe) are other leading regional media groups that have joined the cooperation project.

Particular attention was paid to the preparations for the “Year of News 2024”. Aware that young people in particular are increasingly turning away from traditional journalism formats, the 50 or so partners of the #UseTheNews news literacy initiative have developed a nationwide campaign. While the increase in disinformation on social media is contributing to uncertainty and mistrust of news, dpa and its partners want to draw attention to the importance of trustworthy information and promote the safe use of news, especially among teenagers and young adults. The “Year of News” is supported by a broad alliance of private and public partners and rests on four main pillars: a communications campaign with the slogan “News that is true instead of creating a scene,” a Social News Desk that prepares a news topic every day, regional news camps that give schoolchildren the opportunity to experience digital journalism at first hand, and cooperation projects between partner schools and local editorial offices.