The Media Discuss the Opportunities and Risks for Journalism in the Era of AI-driven Newsrooms
Most newsrooms in South Africa have yet to formally integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into their daily practices, according to a recent study examining the relationship between journalism and AI.
This study was the focus of a webinar titled *Opportunities and Risks for Journalism in South Africa in the Era of AI-Driven Newsrooms*, organised by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) in partnership with Sanlam. The event took place on Monday, 16 September 2024, at the Radisson Blu Hotel Umhlanga in Durban.
The online seminar featured presentations by Dr. Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, Dr. Tigere Muringa, and Siphumelele Zondi, who co-authored the study titled “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Contemporary Journalism Practice in Two African Countries”. However, Samuel Danso who coauthored the paper with them was not at the online seminar.
According to Adjin-Tettey, the study explored how journalists in South Africa and Ghana have used AI tools in their work, primarily in straightforward tasks such as transcription, research, idea generation, and fact-checking. She noted, however, that the formal integration of AI into newsroom operations remains limited due to factors such as cost, language barriers, and resistance to change.
“While participants acknowledged the benefits of using AI for newsroom tasks, they also raised ethical concerns about misinformation, improper attribution, and intellectual property issues,” Adjin-Tettey explained. (Download her presentation)
The study also found that journalists believed the adoption of ethical guidelines and fact-checking practices could help mitigate some of these concerns. Overall, the research added a crucial perspective on AI’s role in African journalism, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges posed by the technology.
AI adoption in newsrooms ranges from simple tasks, such as transcribing interviews, to more complex functions, like detecting fake videos and images. Previous studies have examined how AI is used in news production and fact-checking, but the ethical dimensions of its use have often been overlooked. The authors of this study aimed to fill that gap by providing evidence of how journalists in Ghana and South Africa are incorporating AI into their work and how they are navigating the ethical challenges involved.
The study also explored more advanced uses of AI in newsrooms, such as the Associated Press’s automated generation of earnings reports, which has significantly increased its reporting capacity. Another example highlighted was Reuters’ use of the AI tool Lynx Insight, which analyses large datasets, including financial reports and social media trends, to identify patterns that might hold news value but are not immediately obvious.
The webinar concluded a series of events that began on Friday, 13 September, with a media networking session hosted by FNB and supported by SAB-South Africa. SANEF held its council meeting on Saturday, where it discussed constitutional amendments to align with the country’s national constitution. The weekend culminated with the Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism on Saturday evening.
ENDS