Attitude change key to AI buy-in in newsrooms

In this last piece of a three-part series on the use cases of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in East African newsrooms, I will tackle the most important component: attitudes and perceptions of media managers and editors towards AI.

Let me begin by reminding ourselves that a report by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-INFRA) found that 77 per cent of news publishers identified AI as a critical success factor for their businesses for the next three years. However, it would appear that editors in Africa do not share the same enthusiasm about the use of AI, as scholarship is already demonstrating.

A study published in October last year by Allen Munoriyarwa, Sarah Chiumbu and Gilbert Motsaathebe uncovered a “deep-seated skepticism” on the use of AI among editors from South African mainstream newsrooms. According to the scholars, this cynicism was “driven by fear of job losses, the costs of adopting AI, limited training and ethical issues around AI and its efficacy in the democratic process”.

For the record, this is not the first time that editors and media managers are dismissing and underestimating a new technology. Those who have practised journalism long enough tell us that even the Internet, social media and digital publishing were at first greeted with cynical grunts and shrugs in newsrooms. The issue of AI, however, and the skepticism with which it is being treated, raises very pertinent issues that we ought to think about more closely. 

Ethical tightropes

Emerging issues such as the ethical tightropes around AI and the risks that AI poses to democracy must be addressed at some point at the industry level. The editors also raise the very important matter of limited knowledge, and the fact AI will need a new set of skills and competencies currently not taught in journalism schools. The costs associated with AI might be a valid reason, but we all know that where there is a will – especially from leadership and the board – the resources will always be found.

But before we confront the issues of knowledge gaps and ethics as an industry, we must tackle the most pressing problem, and this is the fear associated with AI. To do this, we must move beyond casual conversations around AI to more structured discussions with editors and media managers.

Whether it is through research or workshops and bootcamps with editors to help them dissect and understand AI, or knowledge-sharing fellowships with editors already using AI, we must first dispel the fear of AI from the minds and hearts of East African media managers, editors, and journalists before we can begin to tackle the ethical issues. That way as we handle the ethics and knowledge matters, we will have more informed conversations and make better decisions.

That said, the retooling and reskilling of editors means nothing if senior leadership and boards do not appreciate the value of AI. Back in the day they used to say, ‘Train the bottom and brief the top”, but with AI and the digital disruption, we must train both the top and the bottom.

The writer is the Director, Innovation Centre, at Aga Khan University; [email protected]