In what might be the boldest experiment in modern journalism, Italy’s conservative-liberal newspaper Il Foglio launched the world’s first AI-only daily newspaper section in March 2025. Called “Foglio AI,” the month-long trial produced a daily four-page insert without a single human fingertip touching the prose. Gutsy move? Absolutely. Terrifying for journalists everywhere? You bet.
The experiment wasn’t completely hands-off. Human journalists still fed questions and prompts to the AI systems, then supervised the output. But they didn’t write or edit a word. Not one. The machines cranked out about 22 articles and 3 editorials daily, covering everything from Trump supporters to “situationships” (whatever those are).
Results were… interesting. AI-written pieces were grammatically flawless and well-structured. They mimicked Il Foglio’s style impressively, even managing irony—no small feat for a computer.
Digital flair, perfect grammar, and even a touch of irony—these robot writers might have more style than we expected.
But something was missing. The articles lacked human sources, emotional depth, and firsthand reporting. Just try getting an AI to stake out a politician’s house in the rain for eight hours.
The machines made mistakes too. Misspellings like “Redutrs” popped up. Facts got mangled. And the AI had zero political memory or ideological understanding. It’s hard to have convictions when you’re just predicting the next word.
Editor Claudio Cerasa called the experiment a “big success” and claimed it boosted sales. The AI section will continue weekly, with plans to expand into podcasts and newsletters. Ka-ching!
Let’s not panic yet. Cerasa insists AI remains just a tool, not a replacement. He believes the future of journalism involves reporters focusing on querying AI tools rather than traditional writing tasks. Machines can’t report, source, or observe. The final page even featured AI-generated letters addressing concerns about humans becoming obsolete due to artificial intelligence. They’re great for book reviews or filling expertise gaps—like that astronomy article no one on staff could write.
The experiment proves something journalists have suspected: AI can handle formulaic opinion pieces efficiently. But real reporting? The boots-on-the-ground stuff? That still needs humans with their messy emotions, ethical judgments, and ability to badger sources until they talk. Some things robots just can’t fake.
