This article was not written by a robot (but some news you read might be)

In an age of offshoring and technological displacement, I've long comforted myself with the thought that — contrary to George Orwell's dystopian vision in 1984 — writers cannot be replaced by machines.

Alas, not so. By early 2016, The Associated Press is expected to debut basic election reporting generated by a software called Wordsmith, which is able to create fairly formulaic articles once the required data is provided. The platform is made by a company called Automated Insights, and AP will use it to provide speedy coverage of things like horse race polls and candidate bios. About a dozen other news outlets are currently testing the program as well.

"We're talking to some folks about election results," said Automated Insights CEO Robbie Allen. "Politics is a good example because there tends to be a lot you're trying to cover at the same time. As the data's coming in around polling and the results themselves, stories can be told about that even quicker."

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