Robotics firms are threatening to put journalists out of work – by producing robots that can write reports. But surely they are not very good? You decide
IT IS A QUESTION to send chills down the spine of the humble hack: can a robot write better copy than I can? US firms such as Narrative Science and Statsheet are using sophisticated report writing software to automatically generate summaries of sports fixtures from a set of data. Aside from programmers who develop the software, no humans are involved.
We decided to test Statsheet’s product by comparing its report of a recent US college basketball final with mine. It would be an epic struggle of man vs machine, like a lowbrow Kasparov versus Deep Blue – in 200 words or less.
I wrote my article having viewed the game, but without having read Statsheet’s piece. I stuck to a few basic principles of reporting – give the most important information first, keep it factual and succinct, try not to sound like a robot – and wrote in the style of a wire report.
REPORT A
Connecticut Huskies v Butler Bulldogs
Connecticut brings home the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2004 with a 53-41 win over Butler. Connecticut actually fell behind 22-19 at halftime but stormed back to get the big win.
The Huskies were sparked by a game high from Kemba Walker who had 16 points while adding nine rebounds. The Huskies also got solid performances from Jeremy Lamb with 12 points, Alex Oriakhi with 11, and Niels Giffey who had four.
Connecticut got a boost under the basket, picking up 36 defensive rebounds compared to 21 for Butler. The Huskies played tight defense as well, limiting the Bulldogs to 18.8 per cent shooting from the field for the night.
Butler finishes the season with a 28-10 overall record as well as a 13-5 record and first place regular season finish in the Horizon. The Bulldogs entered the NCAA Tournament as Horizon champions, beating Milwaukee, 59-44, in the conference tournament.
Butler defeated ninth-seeded Old Dominion, 60-58 in the second round and top-seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70 in the third round. Then the Bulldogs beat fourth-seeded Wisconsin, 61-54 in the Sweet Sixteen, second-seeded Florida, 74-71 in the Elite Eight, and finally 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth, 70-62 in the Final Four.
Butler got its best effort from Shelvin Mack, who registered 13 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Other scoring efforts included nine from Chase Stigall, seven from Matt Howard and five from Andrew Smith.
Connecticut caps its championship season with a 32-9 overall record, finishing in ninth with a 9-9 regular season record in the Big East.
The Huskies were Big East champions, defeating Louisville, 69-66, in the conference tournament. During their fantastic run, Connecticut went through 14th-seeded Bucknell, 81-52 in the second round and sixth-seeded Cincinnati, 69-58, in the third round. That was followed by victories over second-seeded San Diego State, 74-67, in the Sweet Sixteen, fifth-seeded Arizona, 65-63 in the Elite Eight, and finally fourth-seeded Kentucky, 56-55 in the Final Four.
REPORT B
Connecticut Huskies v Butler Bulldogs
Connecticut has won its third NCAA championship following a 53-41 defeat of underdogs Butler at Reliant Stadium, Houston.
The victors trailed by three points at halftime but gained momentum to deliver an improved second half.
Tiny Butler looked like it could cause an upset as it enjoyed the better of the game’s early exchanges. However, a combination of Connecticut’s tight defensive work and some profligate shooting served to derail the Indianapolis college’s challenge.
In a match where scoring was at a premium, Connecticut’s Kemba Walker was the star man, shooting 16 points and nine rebounds. Teammate Alex Oriakhi finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Shelvin Mack led the way for Butler, with 13 points. Ultimately, Butler’s lack of accuracy from the field cost it dearly.
As the second half went on, it became clear that Connecticut was justifying its position as pre-match favourite as its superior shooting and swarming defense left Butler with no place to hide.
It was a deserved win for Connecticut, which has finished the season with a remarkable 11-game winning streak inside a month.
Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun, 68, has now become the oldest head coach to win a national championship and joins an elite group of bosses to have won three national titles.
Whodunnit?
I wrote Report B.
Robohack wrote Report A.
