--- title: "Major Publishing House to Replace Hundreds of Jobs With AI" description: "The Axel Springer-owned German tabloid Bild is to replace over a hundred editorial roles with AI, according to a leaked email." date: "2023-06-21" modified: "2023-06-21" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/media-publisher-replaces-jobs-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "automation" - "journalism" - "the digest" --- # Major Publishing House to Replace Hundreds of Jobs With AI ![The Axel Springer-owned German tabloid Bild is to replace over a hundred editorial roles with AI, according to a leaked email.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Bild Back Never *Bild*, the German tabloid owned and operated by major European publishing house Axel Springer, is expected to replace over a hundred human editorial jobs with artificial intelligence, a leaked email [first obtained]() by the German paper *Frankfurter Allgemeine* (*FAZ*) has revealed. The tabloid will "unfortunately be parting ways with colleagues who have tasks that in the digital world are performed by AI and/or automated processes," the email reads, as reported by *FAZ* and [translated by *The* *Guardian*](). According to the report, the email detailed that those who will be replaced by AI include "editors, print production staff, subeditors, proofreaders and photo editors," and that these time-honored human careers "will no longer exist as they do today." The decision appears to be part of broader cost-cutting efforts across Axel Springer brands, including *Insider,* which also [cut a large chunk of employees amid its own AI pivot]() earlier this year*.* Though [several publications]() across the media industry have experimented with [incorporating AI into their workflows](), the choice to fully automate *hundreds* of essential editorial roles with AI feels like a significant escalation. *Bild* might be a messy, politicized tabloid, but Axel Springer is the biggest publisher in Europe and others could be following suit soon. ## AI Fabrication The news comes after Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner [announced]() earlier this year that the company will turn into a "purely digital media company" and that AI will "make independent journalism better than it ever was — or replace it." That said, there's still a chance the move could backfire on the publisher. For one thing, as demonstrated earlier this year by *BuzzFeed's* quiet foray into [extremely dull AI-spun travel guides](), AI-generated text still tends to lack a sense of depth. More importantly, generative AI tools are also notoriously unreliable and are known to [consistently fabricate citations, quotes, and facts](). In short, it's unclear how an AI system could effectively replace anyone in the journalistic process, particularly when it comes to editing and proofreading. What *is* clear, however, is that the move has been met with plenty of criticism already. In a statement to *FAZ*, the German Journalists' Association (DJV) condemned the automation effort as "not just antisocial towards employees, but also extremely stupid economically." **More on synthetic content:** [*An AI Is Inventing Fake Quotes by Real People and Publishing Them Online*]() ## 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]()