Transcript: If leveraged effectively, AI provides small indie media outlets with a significant competitive advantage, especially hyper-local publications serving niche communities. That’s my 2026 prediction for the future of journalism. If used thoughtfully, transparently, and always with human oversight, AI can help local outlets survive, innovate, and sustain themselves.

Hi, I’m Anita Li. I’m the publisher and CEO of The Green Line. We’re a hyperlocal outlet in Toronto focused on community storytelling and real-world problem-solving. When it comes to AI and journalism, I’m neither a Luddite nor a techno-optimist. I take a pragmatic view. To me, AI is a tool, and it’s a tool that will inevitably transform our industry, whether we like it or not. Today, local news is struggling. Small independent media outlets are resource-strapped and closing their doors. And in Canada, our vast geographic expanse leads to even more news deserts. Our communities deserve better.

At The Green Line, we’re a tiny team — every hour matters. So I use generative AI where it makes us stronger. That’s primarily in business development. For example, AI helps me generate $80,000 in grant funding; work that might have taken 40 hours took four. That time savings is critical. When you’re building a publication from the ground up, capacity is everything. I also use AI for awards applications, sponsorship outreach, grant writing, market research, and audience data analysis. Not to think for me, but to repurpose my own original ideas.

The Green Line is my brainchild. Everything we generate starts with human insight. AI frees up time for strategy and developing relationships, the work only humans can do. From an editorial standpoint, our team seldom uses AI, but when we do, we do so with guardrails and transparency. If we publish a web summary that was generated by AI, we label it, because transparency is non-negotiable.

My team is made up of Gen Z and Millennials. And like many digital natives, they’re skeptical of AI. There’s tech fatigue. So I practice the same transparency internally that I do externally. If AI helps draft a message, they know. It builds trust. The Green Line’s ethical framework focuses on principles, not rigid rules. AI evolves too quickly for static rulebooks. So instead, we keep clear guardrails: independence, accuracy, fairness, transparency. These pillars don’t change, no matter the tool.

At The Green Line, journalism is human. We host regular in-person gatherings where young people talk about systemic issues and solutions in their city. We record those conversations, with consent, and analyze them alongside survey data to identify our audience’s information needs. AI helps identify patterns. But a reporter provides context, meaning, and connection. That human value is irreplaceable. The Green Line doesn’t consider itself a big-J journalism newsroom. We see ourselves as an information and community services organization, because journalism must be useful to people’s lives, not just a democratic ideal. The future of journalism is service-oriented, hyperlocal, and mission-driven. I believe AI can support that future if we use it intentionally, transparently, and always with humans in the loop.