Chinese professor tips newsrooms on AI

By Chimwemwe Mangazi in Beijing, China:

Tsinghua University professor Li Zhang has urged newsrooms to keep humans at the centre of journalism as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly prevalent in the industry.

Zhang made the remarks while addressing journalists participating in the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) programme on ‘AI empowering international communication’.

She said AI is rapidly transforming journalism and is now being used at almost every stage of news production.

Zhang, however, warned that AI could generate fake news, images and videos and called for clear guidelines on its use in journalism.

“It is very important to keep humans in the loop. If AI is used to think, write and check facts, the whole industry will become dangerous. AI is useful for tasks such as transcription and translation. However, it cannot guarantee authenticity or objectivity,” Zhang said.

She urged African countries to assess the extent of AI adoption in newsrooms, establish public attitudes towards the technology and learn from developments in other countries before developing their own guidelines.

Zhang acknowledged that AI could threaten some jobs but said it was unlikely to replace journalists entirely in the immediate future, as it still depends on effective human prompts.

She, however, warned that entry-level journalism jobs could be at risk.

Ugandan journalist Jackie Achan said AI is not yet widely used in many African newsrooms, where its application is largely limited to transcription.

“AI-written stories lack ‘soul’ and look alike. I am neither for nor against AI, but I support using it in the right amount. Many newsrooms are understaffed and journalists are overloaded, so any tool that helps them meet deadlines will be welcome,” Achan said.