--- title: "CNN Firing 100 Employees Amid “Strategic Push Into AI”" description: "CNN is firing 100 employees, or three percent of its overall work force. It says it's pivoting harder to video — and pushing \"into AI.\"" date: "2024-07-10" modified: "2024-07-10" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cnn-firing-employees-push-into-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai journalism" - "the digest" --- # CNN Firing 100 Employees Amid “Strategic Push Into AI” ![CNN is firing 100 employees, or three percent of its overall work force. It says it's pivoting harder to video — and pushing "into AI."]() *\Image: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty / Futurism\* ## Harness On *CNN* [announced]() today that it would be laying off another 100 staffers, or three percent of its overall workforce — a decision that CEO Mark Thompson billed as part of an overall modernization and pivot-to-video effort. And yes, in his memo to *CNN* employees — as [published in full by ]()*[The Hollywood Reporter]() —* Thompson was sure to mention that a "strategic push into AI" will be part of that effort, too. In the memo, Thompson wrote that he wants the network to "regain a leadership position in the news experiences of the future." This mission "will include a strategic push into AI," per the document, "to determine how best to safely harness this emerging new technology to serve our audiences and deliver our journalistic goals more effectively and responsively." Thompson didn't elaborate further on any specific AI plans, but the mention is significant. *CNN* is a massive and deeply influential news organization, and where and how it uses AI — or, conversely, where and how it chooses not to — has the potential to set off significant dominoes across the journalism and broadcasting industries. "We're living through a revolution in both news and television consumption," Thompson's memo noted elsewhere. "To me, the right response to this revolution is not despair but adaptation and innovation." ## Bandwagoneer That said, other major media institutions that have announced AI shifts seem to have little to show for it collectively. Some AI efforts, like *CNET's* disastrous foray into [error-laced AI articles]() under the leadership of owner Red Ventures, or *USA Today* owner Gannett's publishing of extremely low-quality [high school sports roundups](), have been deeply embarrassing and damaging to brands. In the same lane was the mass publishing of [fake author-bylined articles,]() many of which were generated using AI, at [*Sports Illustrated*](), *The Miami Herald*, and *USA Today* (again), among many other publishers. And yet, other AI efforts in media have been equal parts underwhelming. Publications [including *USA Today*]() (again) and [*The Washington Post*](), for instance, have rolled out AI-generated bullet points at the top of news stories. The fact that a human writer could likely whip these up pretty easily aside, the function feels... well, it feels far less than innovative. Machine learning may prove to have some interesting applications in the reporting process. It's been touted as an effective tool for helping journalists sift through large amounts of data to find patterns, and is extremely useful for audio transcription. Broadly speaking, though, most media C-suite utterances of AI initiatives — particularly those that have [accompanied mass layoffs]() — have been publicly followed with content applications, and mostly sloppy ones to boot. For now, whatever *CNN's* "strategic" AI push will entail remain unclear. And in the meantime, we'll [add]() Thompson's memo to the [ever-growing pile]() of journalism-layoffs-coupled-with-AI-announcments. **More on AI and journalism:** *[Gannett Promised to Be Super Responsible With AI Before Completely Bungling It]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()