Politico, Union Clash Over AI Use

Politico Newsroom Faces AI Legal Battle

Politico, along with its sister publication E&E News represented by the PEN Guild, is preparing for a legal dispute regarding the implementation of AI. The union alleges that the AI regulations in their contract have been breached.

The union's members contend that the AI tools have violated their agreement, potentially setting a precedent for journalists' involvement in AI usage within newsrooms. Last year, Politico started using AI to create live news summaries for major political events, such as the Democratic National Convention and the US vice presidential debates.

AI Tool Implementation

This March, Politico introduced AI tools called Policy Intelligence Assistance for subscribers, developed with Capitol AI. A Politico executive described it as “seamlessly integrating generative AI with our unmatched policy expertise.” However, union members claim these tools violated their contract and are pursuing arbitration this July.

PEN union chair Ariel Wittenberg states that the company is obligated to provide 60 days' notice for new technology impacting job duties. The union asserts they received no notice and no opportunity to negotiate Politico’s AI deployment, arguing that the AI tools perform tasks typically done by staff.

Newsguild president Jon Schleuss says this dispute tests whether journalists have a say in AI's use in their work and that union contracts are the only enforceable frameworks for AI accountability. Politico says it takes its bargaining agreement obligations seriously and will continue to honor them while embracing AI technologies, according to spokesperson Heather Riley.

Ethical Concerns

Politico’s contract requires AI use to align with journalistic ethics. Union vice chair Arianna Skibell says AI should meet the same ethical and style standards as journalists. Some members question whether there’s appropriate human oversight of AI content.

Skibell alleges that an AI-generated live summary used unacceptable language around immigration during the vice presidential debates and contained factual errors, such as misattributing actions by the Biden Administration to Kamala Harris. These errors were later corrected. Wittenberg claims that the AI live summaries were not subject to the same approval process as articles written by human reporters. Politico did not comment on the specifics of the union's allegations.

Union members believe AI-generated posts violated Politico’s correction policies. They also claim that a paid AI tool produced incorrect information in the past. For example, in March 2025, a report on abortion rights was written as if the constitutional right was still in effect, despite Politico’s human reporters reporting in 2022 that the Supreme Court had voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Industry-Wide Implications

Politico’s parent company, Axel Springer, has multiyear licensing deals with OpenAI, similar to Vox Media, The Atlantic, and Condé Nast. While AI tools have contributed to award-winning journalism, they have also led to issues, such as CNET's error-filled AI articles. Labor lawyer Alek Felstiner says that this is the first clash of its kind in digital media.

As media companies integrate AI, staff often lack input on its adoption. Politico’s dispute could set an industry precedent. In 2023, Hollywood unions secured AI protections in their contracts. SAG-AFTRA recently filed a charge against a production company associated with Fortnite for using an AI-generated replica of James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader voice.

Skibell says they remain hopeful for an agreement but are prepared for a fight.