Newspaper companies' determinants in adopting robot journalism

•It is highly likely for newspapers to introduce robot journalism.•Newspapers' managements are insensitive to sunken costs in adopting robot-writers.•Business results are top concerns of them in introducing of robot journalism.•Restructuring of human journalists after adopting robots is very likely to be selected.

This study sought to identify the determinants of chief officers of newspapers in introducing robot journalism into newsrooms. Analytic hierarchy process was employed as a methodology, and data to be analysed were obtained from 42 surveys on chief officers from 24 different newspaper companies. According to the results, a prospected business performance brought about by the introduction of robot journalism and news consumers' willingness to read robot-written news stories are top concerns among the criteria for the consideration of whether newspaper companies plan to introduce robot journalism or not. On the other hand, journalists' attitude towards robot journalism is behind considerations for business performance and changes of external market environment. Decision-makers in newspaper companies seemed to be insensitive to sunken costs with regard to the introduction of robot journalism. In terms of alternatives, a decrease in the number of human journalists after the adoption of robot-writers is most likely to be selected as an employment strategy by newspaper companies. The fall in the number of human journalists after adopting robots is most likely to be selected as an employment strategy.