Dear Reader,

On 20th August, I was a panelist at Agurchand Manmull Jain College’s Department of Defence and Strategic Studies for a session titled Behind the Headlines: Journalism in the Age of AI and New Media.

It was nostalgic to sit next to Mr. Shiv Kumar, Associate Editor at The New Indian Express, one of India’s legacy media organisations, and educationist Sumit Bothra, who helped me with contacts when I was covering the beat.

Mr. Kumar helped shape my interest in environmental journalism at the start of my career. He referred my name to various environmental conferences, giving me opportunities to meet people and better understand the nuances of the subject.

As Managing Editor of The Xylom, I act as a gatekeeper on AI use in writing copy. According to our recently revised policy,

“Using AI to write any part of a story or create any visual for a story, including photos, videos, illustrations, or accompanying captions and alt text, is grounds for severing staff and contributor relationships.”

AI-detection tools aren’t always reliable, but after reading countless stories over the years, I can usually tell when something doesn’t sound human.

But what is an acceptable use of AI?

I remember my days at NDTV almost 12 years ago, when I interned there and had to transcribe hour-long interviews. It was strict verbatim transcription, with every hesitation, pause, and vocal filler captured. It would take me twice as long because the tedious task would literally make me sleepy.

Today, Otter AI does the job. And I am so grateful. (Note: We have opted out of Otter’s Generative AI features, such as meeting summaries, action points, and chatbots.)

I use AI as an effective search engine to find research papers on various science topics. And when those papers get too jargony, I ask ChatGPT to break them down as though I were a 10th-grade student.

I suffer from writer’s block more often than you might think, and I sometimes confide in ChatGPT, which reminds me of my achievements and gives me the much-needed boost to get back to work.

Most importantly, AI can translate press releases from vernacular languages into English. And thus, it deprived me of a skill my predecessors had — learning the language of the land. In my case, I can speak Tamil, but I cannot read or write the world’s oldest living language.

Beyond these tasks, though, I know I would be doomed if I started using AI to write, edit, or fact-check my stories. I don't want my brain cells to die.

What stayed with me most was the curiosity of the students. It was one of the most interactive and meaningful panel discussions I have been part of. 

The college has many first-generation students. Some of them commute almost 100 miles one way, attend college, work part-time for a few hours in the city, and then make the gruelling journey back home.

For such students, AI can be that friend who explains an academic topic not just in English, but in their mother tongue — making it easier to understand and digest.

They can plug in their earphones on the train and listen to their study material on the way. And that is access to knowledge.

Every day, I read tens of LinkedIn posts about how AI is a threat to writers. But during this session, college dean Dr. M. M. Ramya offered a perspective the writer in me needed to hear.

“It is easy to identify AI-written pieces. So, in the future, when most written work is outsourced to AI, there will be a greater demand for real writers — those who can make you laugh, cry, and feel. Such writers will thrive.”

Warmly,
Laasya Shekhar
Managing Editor

🌞 NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

• 🎤 Alex was recently interviewed by Elise Cutts on the state of indie science journalism. Read the interview on Reviewer, too:

  • 🏅ICYMI, Elise was named the winner of the CASW Evert/Clark Award last week, and Alex was named an Online Journalism Awards finalist this week! Hurrah!

  • 🍾 Join us at the 2026 Online Journalism Awards Virtual Ceremony Thursday, September 3rd at 2 pm ET to celebrate all the winners and finalists.

• 🐯 Congratulations to contributor Nicole Carr, who was recently promoted to Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) at Morehouse College!

• 🔮 Check out these two reads from our contributors: Noah Daly on how Americans Encounter Risks at Psychedelic Clinics Abroad, and Ellie Rose Mattoon on how literary magazines and creative sections of academic medical journals diverge in their publication processes for medical poetry and prose.

• ✏️ Longtime readers may recognize op-eds and essays on The Xylom by participants of the Young Voices of Science Program. The organizers have opened applications for the Fall 2026 cycle; the deadline is September 4th at 2 pm ET. Apply here.

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