The deal, valued at more than $US250 million ($376 million), took place days before the company made a number of senior editors and managers redundant. There are expectations more cuts will hit its wider team of Australian journalists in the coming week as it aims to find savings of up to $65 million. Miller insisted speculation of more than 100 jobs cuts was just that.

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“In terms of journalists, we will always try to minimise first frontline journalists, those that are on the ground … unfortunately we are going through, as an industry, a lot of change, and we’re looking to right size the period into the advertising downturn to be in a position for growth coming out,” he said.

“There’s no doubt those AI companies need media companies and if the partnership is right, then I don’t think media companies should be close-minded to working with AI companies either.

“I think as media companies using AI, it’s a tool. We’re not going to see journalists replaced by AI. But if it allows us to do a better job, we’ve mentioned fact checking, we talked about speed to publish with greater accuracy … those are the areas where journalists can be doing a better job by using the technology available to us.”