Big Data Discourses| Curating AI Into Being: Hacks/Hackers as Amplifiers of Journalism’s Digital Futures

Abstract

As a network of journalists and technologists, Hacks/Hackers represents a transformative force reshaping traditional journalistic practice. From advocating for data journalism to proposing automated journalism, Hacks/Hackers plays a crucial role in “curating AI into being” by advancing AI-driven communication as journalism’s digital future. Based on a media ethnography conducted across Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA, the article demonstrates that this happens in a three-step process: (1) introducing AI as an emerging trend, (2) consolidating the vision through illustrative examples, and (3) normalizing it. Ultimately, Hacks/Hackers’ curation serves as a twofold amplifier—supporting a sociotechnical imaginary of AI not only as the future of journalism but also as a transformative force in society more broadly.