ABU DHABI, 26th November, 2024 (WAM) -- On the first day of the Global Media Congress 2024 (GMC), participants in a session titled "AI-Powered Newsrooms: Redefining the Future of Journalism" discussed the critical role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming the media and journalism landscape.
The session focused on AI's applications in automation, content creation, editorial processes, and ethical considerations.
The panel explored the opportunities AI offers, such as improved efficiency, enhanced accuracy, and streamlined workflows in newsrooms.
At the same time, participants highlighted challenges related to maintaining journalistic integrity, ensuring unbiased reporting, and upholding ethical standards in an era increasingly influenced by AI technologies.
The discussion emphasised the importance of adopting AI responsibly to balance innovation with the core values of journalism, ensuring the technology serves as a tool to enhance, rather than compromise, media credibility and trustworthiness.
The session was moderated by Yousef Al Hooti, TV Presenter, Oman Media, with the participation of Ahmed Al Alawi, Editor-in-Chief, Al Ain News; Ahmed S. Aboushabab, Deputy Head of Creative, IMI, and Yaser Bishr, Advisor to the Chairman, MONIIFY.
Bishr said, "AI has provided us with immense capabilities, surpassing human potential in some areas. It is anticipated that within the next ten years, we will achieve a fully integrated platform powered by AI tools.
AI has progressed through five key stages: interacting with AI tools, conducting in-depth analysis of questions and assessing responses from multiple perspectives, using AI tools for analysis and decision-making, achieving creative problem-solving, and enabling AI to perform most newsroom tasks from start to finish."
Bishr highlighted that Arabic content represents only 1% of the total content available online, leading to a bias in the output generated by AI tools, which often reflects Western culture.
Ahmed Al Alawi, Editor-in-Chief, Al Ain News, said, “AI has transformed our understanding of journalistic tools, mechanisms, and content delivery. At Al Ain News, we rely on AI to enhance journalism workflows, improve efficiency, and reduce production costs through automated content generation, translation, and faster turnaround times. This has resulted in increased output, greater accuracy, and enhanced objectivity. However, editorial decisions must remain human-centric, as the human element is essential in publishing within newsrooms. AI offers opportunities to accelerate production, save time and effort, and reshape journalistic practices, ethics, and frameworks. It is imperative that we invest in AI responsibly.”
Ahmed S. Aboushabab, Deputy Head of Creative, said, "AI has empowered media professionals to undertake tasks that were previously unachievable. We should view AI as a companion to humanity and a supporter of creative ideas."