Hannes Cools

Hannes Cools

Assistant Professor 'Human Factor in New Technologies' at the University of Amsterdam

Research

Journal articles (peer review)

  1. Morosoli, S., Naudts, L., Cools, H., Venkatraj, K., Helberger, N., & de Vreese, C. (2025). Public accountability and regulatory expectations for AI in journalism: qualitative evidence from focus groups with Dutch citizens. AI & SOCIETY, 1-13.
  2. D’haeseleer, S., Van Damme, K., Cools, H., Van Leuven, S., & Evens, T. (2025). AI Divides in Newsrooms? How Journalists in the Low Countries Use and Perceive Generative AI. Journalism Practice, 1-28.
  3. Cools, H., & de Vreese, C. H. (2025). From Automation to Transformation with AI-Tools: Exploring the Professional Norms and the Perceptions of Responsible AI in a News Organization. Digital Journalism, 1-20.
  4. Møller, L. A., Cools, H., & Skovsgaard, M. (2025). One Size Fits Some: How Journalistic Roles Shape the Adoption of Generative AI. Journalism Practice, 1-22.
  5. Cools, H., Helberger, N. & de Vreese, C. (2025). Co-creating research at The AI, media, and democracy lab: Reflections on the role of academia in collaborations with media partners. Journalism, 1(1), 1-13.
  6. Cools, H., & Diakopoulos, N. (2024). Uses of Generative AI in the Newsroom: Mapping Journalists’ Perceptions of Perils and Possibilities. Journalism Practice, 1(1), 1–19.
  7. Lamot, K., Cools, H., & Gevers, I. (2024). Exploring the Relationship Between Stylistic Features and Reactions on Facebook: A Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Headlines and Status Messages. Journalism Studies, 1(1), 1-20.
  8. Cools, H., Koliska, M. (2024), News Automation and Algorithmic Transparency in the Newsroom: The Case of the Washington Post. Journalism Studies, 25(6), 662-680.
  9. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2023). Newsroom innovation labs as ‘survival entities’ for journalism? Mapping the process of (de)institutionalization at The Washington Post. Digital Journalism, 12(2), 171-190.
  10. Cools, H. (2023). Hoe algoritmes de journalistieke institutie veranderen: op zoek naar bewijs binnen redacties en diens innovatielabs. Tijdschrift voor de Communicatiewetenschap (Amsterdam University Press), 1(1), 1-20.
  11. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2022). New Organizations, Different Journalistic Roles, and Innovative Projects: How Second-generation Newsroom Innovation Labs are Changing the News Ecosystem. Journalism Practice. 18(6), 1605-1620.
  12. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2022). Where Exactly Between Utopia and Dystopia? A Framing Analysis of AI and Automation in US newspapers. In Journalism, 25(1), 3-21.
  13. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2021) When Algorithms Recommend What’s New(s): New Dynamics of Gatekeeping and Agenda-setting in Innovation Labs. In Media and Communication, 9(4), 198-207.

Book chapters (peer review)

  1. Cools, H. (2025). The evolving role of journalists as gatekeepers in the age of (generative) artificial intelligence. In Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism. Edited by Aynur Sarısakaloğlu & Martin Loffelholz (Technical university of Ilmenau).
  2. Cools, H.; Van Gorp, B.; Opgenhaffen, M. (2023). The levels of automation and the degree of autonomy in the newsroom: Towards a multi-level typology of computational journalism. In Handbook for AI and Communication. Edited by Seungahn Nah (University of Florida, U.S.A.).
  3. Cools, H.; Van Gorp, B.; Opgenhaffen, M. (2020). Is the human news worker becoming less journalistic? The changing role of gatekeeping in the age of computational journalism. In Future of Journalism Handbook in Digital Journalism. Edited by Ville Manninen (University of Vaasa, Finland), Mari Niemi (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Anthony Ridge-Newman (Liverpool Hope University, United Kingdom). 

Forthcoming publications (peer review)

  1. D’haeseleer, S., Cools, H., Van Damme, K.; Evens, T.; Van Leuven, S. (2024). Cross-border AI divide? A comparative analysis of generative AI in Dutch and Belgian newsrooms. Submitted to Journalism Practice.
  2. Møller, L.; Cools, H.; Skovsgaard, M. (2024). Different Roles and Responsibilities? Assessing the Uses of Generative AI Tools in Relation to News Worker’s Role Conceptions. Submitted to Journalism Practice.
  3. Cools, H. (2024). Navigating the Responsible AI Landscape: Unraveling the Policies-to-Practices Gap of Transparency and Explainability at the BBC. Submitted in Big Data & Society.
  4. Cools, H., Singer, J.; Garcia Aviles, J.; Nunes, A.; Porlezza, C. (2022). Comparative study on how innovation labs in Europe define innovation. Submitted to Journalism.
  5. Cools H., de Vreese C., Helberger N. (2023), Towards responsible recommender systems in newsrooms? Proposing an Analytical Framework to Evaluate the Requirements and the Goals of Transparency and Explainability. Submitted to Digital Journalism.
  6. Cools H., de Vreese C. (2023), How to deploy responsible AI at Berlingske Media? Mapping practices and perceptions at a Danish newsroom. Submitted to Digital Journalism.

Dissertation

  1. Cools, H. (2022). How algorithms are augmenting the journalistic institution: in search of evidence from newsrooms and its innovation labs. Ph.D.-Dissertation (Defended December 2, 2022). (https://research.kuleuven.be/portal/en/project/3H190286)

Other output (not peer reviewed)

  1. Cools, H., & Diakopoulos, N. (2023). Towards Guidelines for Guidelines on the use of Generative AI in Newsrooms. (Blog: 32,000 reads) (URL)
  2. Diakopoulos, N., Cools, H., Helberger, N., Li, C., Kung, E., & Rinehart, A. (2024). Generative AI in Journalism: The Evolution of Newswork and Ethics in a Generative Information Ecosystem. (Technical report: 12,000 reads) (URL)   

Conference papers & conference presentations (selection)

  1. Cools, H. (2024). From Automation to Transformation with AI-Tools: Exploring the Professional Norms and the Perceptions of Responsible AI in a News Organization. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 20 – 24 June 2024.
  2. Cools, H. (2024). Towards Ethical Standards for Using Generative AI: A Comparative Analysis of Internal and External Guideline Documents of Newsrooms. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 20 – 24 June 2024.
  3. Cools, H. (2024). Towards Algorithmic Gatekeeping and Agenda Setting: Re-Conceptualising Key Media Theories in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Presented at ECREA Sheffield, UK, 11 – 12 April 2024.
  4. Cools, H. (2023). Responsible AI in times of AI regulation. Presented at SOLAIR Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, 12 December 2023.
  5. Cools, H. (2023). Uses of generative AI in the newsroom. Presented at Future of Journalism Conference, Cardiff, United Kingdom, 13 September – 15 September 2023.
  6. Cools, H. (2023). Unfolding the limitations of internal and external algorithmic transparency in newsrooms. Presented at the Computation + Journalism Conference, Zürich, Switzerland, 27 June – 29 June 2023.
  7. Cools, H. (2023). Comparing newsroom innovation in Europe. Professor Kenza Lamot, VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 26 June 2023.
  8. Cools, H. (2023). Newsroom innovation labs as ‘survival entities’ for journalism? Mapping the process of (de)institutionalization at The Washington Post. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Toronto, Canada, 24 May 2023 – 30 May 2023.
  9. Cools, H. (2022). Comparative study on how innovation labs in Europe define innovation. Presented at the AEJMC Conference, Detroit, U.S.A, 03 Aug 2022-05 Aug 2022.
  10. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2022). Newsroom innovation labs as ‘survival entities’ for journalism? Mapping the process of (de)institutionalization at The Washington Post. Presented at Ph.D.-workshop in Bergen, Norway, 09 Jun 2022-11 Jun 2022. 
  11. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2022). How COVID-19 changed the way newsrooms innovate: the organization, content, and methods of innovation labs. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Paris, France, 26 May 2022 – 30 May 2022. 
  12. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M., Van Gorp, B. (2021). When Algorithms Recommend What’s New(s): New Dynamics of Gatekeeping and Agenda-setting in Innovation Labs. Presented at the Computation + Journalism 2021, Boston, MA (virtual conference). 
  1. Cools, H., Opgenhaffen, M. (contr.), Van Gorp, B. (contr.) (2021). Is the human news worker becoming less journalistic? The changing role of gatekeeping in the age of computational journalism. Presented at the Etmaal Conference, Virtual Conference, 03 Feb 2021-03 Feb 2021. 
  2. Cools, H. (2020). Een typologie van computationele journalistiek: van lage naar hoge vormen van automatisering. Presented at the Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Amsterdam, 06 Feb 2020-07 Feb 2020. 
  3. Cools, H. (2020). Framing automation: a quantitative framing analysis of artificial intelligence in American newspapers. Presented at the Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Amsterdam, 06 Feb 2020-07 Feb 2020. 
  4. Cools, H. (2019). News automation at work: an overview of computational journalistic tools. Presented at the News automation at work, Dublin City University, 04 Nov 2019-05 Nov 2019. 
  5. Cools, H. (2019). A typology for computational journalism: An overview of the various levels of automation in the newsroom. Presented at the Future of Journalism, Cardiff University, 12 Sep 2019-13 Sep 2019. 
  6. Cools, H. (2019). From low-level to high-level automation in the newsroom: Towards a multi-level typology of computational journalism. Presented at the SciCar Conference, Dortmund, 09 Sep 2019-09 Sep 2019.