We got called "Lazy"

When we introduced Charlotte from the Equitas AI News Desk, the reaction was… mixed.

Some people were excited.
Some people were curious.
And some people had genuine concerns.

The biggest concern we saw repeated was that an AI journalist might replace a female journalist.

That concern is completely understandable. Technology is changing a lot of industries, and people are right to question where it might lead.

But in this situation, the reality is actually very simple.

Equitas does not have the funding to hire a newsroom, or even a single full-time journalist. As much as we aim to and would love to be in that position one day, it simply isn’t the reality right now.

So the decision in front of us was very clear. Either we build tools that allow a very small team to cover more ground.
Or we don’t have a news desk at all.

It really is that straightforward:
an AI newsroom, or no newsroom.

You all know that Equitas has been entirely self-funded by Shane, Muireann, and I for the last four years, with no financial investment or funding (yet!). Alongside that, we have also made a very conscious decision to do everything we can to avoid turning Equitas into a paid subscription platform. Because we don’t believe the stories we are sharing - and the women behind them - should sit behind a paywall.

But that choice means we have to build differently.
It means thinking creatively and using the tools available to us so that a very small team can still operate on a global scale.

The system Shane has built (Charlotte) for Equitas, helps us monitor, research and track stories happening across the equestrian world. Riders, grooms, coaches and communities are doing incredible things every single day and often in places that traditional media simply never reach. And, without that kind of support behind the scenes, the reality would be three people trying to manually follow a global industry in whatever spare hours they could find.

And that simply wouldn’t work.

On a more personal note...

Alongside the concerns over using an AI journalist replacing a woman, there were also a couple of comments suggesting that using AI was lazy, or that the two real women behind the account should be doing this work ourselves.

These comments definitely stung because of course, we would prefer to be doing it ourselves and the suggestion that we are not, because of a lack of work ethic, well - ouch!!!

While I don't feel the need to defend ourselves, for the last 4 years Muireann and I have made a lot of sacrifices trying to grow something meaningful while supporting our families through motherhood, health challenges, financial realities, and of course, the horses that are part of our everyday life.

At the same time, Shane has spent untold hours educating himself and becoming an expert in AI so that we could build the kind of infrastructure that might actually allow Equitas to grow. Thinking ahead, thinking differently, and building systems that simply didn’t exist for us before.

Alongside all of that, there has also been a wider community who have helped make this platform what it is. Women who have given their time, their writing, their stories and their voices to help Equitas grow. That community is the real foundation of Equitas, and their trust has meant so much to us. The technology we are building simply helps us extend what that community can reach and give many more a voice.

So, because of all of this, I guess it is personal to us all.

Bridging the Gap

People asking questions does not concern us - we have again and again made ourselves accessible for healthy discussions, and in this particular instance of building something new, we are delighted to see it.

The blend of AI, women and equestrianism was always going to be a challenge, and one that kept us awake at night. They don't naturally go hand in hand, and the equestrian industry has been notoriously slow to adopt new tech - so of course, skepticism and criticism are to be expected.
Because of this, we made the decision early that if Equitas is going to blend the three elements, then the only way to do it respectfully is with transparency.
We have always strived to keep you all informed and bring you on this journey with us. The alternative was to keep this AI Journalist system hidden behind the scenes and release it front facing under the guise of traditional journalism - but that didn't sit right and felt inauthentic.

We are not trying to dupe anybody and this certainly has not been an easy or "lazy" path.

Our goal is to ensure that when you see Equitas develop and use AI, you know that it has been brought to you responsibly, with care and for the betterment of the women in our industry all over the world.

Stay Sound,
Sarah