Prof. (Dr.) Sachin Batra
Media has started conducting successful digital innovation projects in this age of artificial intelligence. An example may include the prominent national newspaper ‘Rajasthan Patrika’, which has recently used artificial intelligence to publish the first news photo of an accident in a novel style. The AI-generated graphic photograph of the disaster appeared in the 5th May newspaper as a cover story, with the headline “NH-8: Tanker overturns on the overloaded car after tire burst in Dudu, 8 killed.” The same has been acknowledged being a graphic representation of the incident. It appears to be a realistic photo of the incident. In India, this is a historic beginning to the creative journey of journalism.
The most interesting part is that, if you didn’t read the sub-headline in the news, it would appear like the newspaper’s photographer was present when the incident occurred and promptly snapped a photo of it. But “Rajasthan Patrika” placed a disclaimer that, the image has been generated through artificial intelligence.
Referring the history the first robotic article with the help of the first Open AI Chat GPT-3 model was published by “The Guardian” newspaper on September 8, 2020. The article ‘Are you scared yet, human?’ was produced by a machine. In terms of media and entertainment, artificial intelligence has endless possibilities. The CAGR study produced by “Gridview Research” provides insight into this. According to the report, the global market for media and entertainment was valued at US$14.81 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase by 26.9 percent to US$99.48 billion by 2030. This predicts that the allure of AI will be seen not only in images but also in news stories around the world. There were parallel AI studies, but on May 4, 2021, a startup news organisation “Nowhere” released news pieces through machine learning technology in collaboration with the journalists.
It has been argued that journalism is now approaching an era of synthetic media based on AI in relation to these new technological revolutions. The use and significance of potential AI applications in newsrooms are also highlighted in Statista’s 2022 study. According to the report, 53% of respondents think automated tagging and transcription in newsrooms are necessary, and 28% believe that they’re extremely necessary. Similarly, story selection for news collection is regarded to be 50% vital and 20% highly essential. Additionally, robot journalism is regarded as 30% necessary and 10% extremely necessary.
In the realm of news today, it is simple to filter complex data gathered using AI to make it appropriate for news. The intriguing thing is that modern artificial intelligence-based digital technologies not only analyse data but also create it as a visual and provide it to you right away. Therefore, it can be argued that AI technology saves time and instantly presents you with a variety of results possibilities. Its value in this circumstance cannot be disputed. Similarly, it is astounding that you could give AI a speech and it would quickly write it down.
All you need is to edit and draft like news. This saves much time and helps to produce more stories in a given time. In order to convey news articles in many ways and make photographs useful in journalism, AI technology will be highly beneficial. Because a number of internet technologies, such as APA, which stands for Automatic Photo Enhancement, Automatic Data Conversion into Text, Algorithmic Based Content Delivery to Subscribers, and Content Filtering, will bring a new way of working in journalism, which is untold and unheard till date.
The “Global Investigative Journalism Network” claimed in one of its study publications that every missing piece of information can be discovered over the course of an investigation by using artificial intelligence. Additionally, AI systems are particularly effective at spotting different trends. The ‘Tao Centre analysis also noted that a lot of American media outlets use AI for fact-checking. For instance, Reuters employs a program called News Tracer to verify the accuracy of tweets and articles that go viral on social media.
It is to mention that after observing the frequent deployment of technology, this new phase of AI is going to be incredibly interesting. Where, veteran journalists will use computer artificial intelligence to dramatically alter how news is created, displayed, and explained in the newsroom. It’s possible that the AI will be given the reader interest data in order to produce the newspaper’s front page, and the front page will be designed instantly as per the individual’s choice. AI is presenting countless opportunities for news presentation that will keep readers interested and engaged. Another thing that can be noted is that every era brings forth a fresh change that gives a profession new life. Similar things are expected in artificial intelligence, or AI.
The endless potential of adopting AI is exciting, but there are still unaddressed questions to consider. Geoffrey Hinton, who is regarded as the founder of artificial intelligence, took a significant sabbatical from his work at Google to voice his worries. He claimed that the blind race of AI is harmful and will result to deep fakes or people won’t be able to know the truth. However, the concern over the risks associated with the use and the veracity of incorrect information must be viewed as illogical. Concerns about the media appear pointless because it is the responsibility of news professionals to uncover lies. The only place where false information seems to be factual gets publicized and spread is social media. The reason behind it is as no gatekeeper, editor or scanner is dealing with the verification or fact-check process of information.
As a result, unsubstantiated, inaccurate, and fictitious information is disseminated like news. The presentation of news will undoubtedly alter as a result of AI, but there will be no compromise on the media’s pursuit of the truth. While artificial intelligence has become an indispensable digital tool for newsrooms due to its phenomenal use and quick productivity, there are also cautions regarding monitoring and attention in its use. According to Nausicaa Renkar, digital editor at Columbia Journalism Review, transparency is the main obstacle to AI entering newsrooms, which is one of j core principles of journalism.
He claims that a journalist is upfront while AI is operating in the background. The Guardian’s Reader’s Editor, Paul Chadwick, has also issued a warning that the data obtained through thinking software should be reviewed for ethical norms. It has been accepted that if technical analysis and editorial cross-verification of machine outputs are conducted, AI will be a game changer for media. It is also true that artificial intelligence has provided journalists with a fresh creative tool for investigation and presentation, which will definitely improve their capacity to engage the audience and show off their creativity.
The ‘Open Society Program on Independent Journalism’ was directed by Maria Teresa Rondro, who conducted extensive research and studies on the caliber of work in the media and inspired such initiatives. She claims that the AP employed Wordsmith software to turn financial data into news stories, the Chequeabot at Chicago in Argentina, and Full Fact Check in the UK, whereas New York Times is using Perspective API capabilities to control reader’s comments. AI-based digital techniques for finding the odds are being used quite successfully. Examples include OCRP’s Crime Pattern Recognition, ‘Reuters’ Linux Insight, and Factmata. It can be concluded that in the future, every news, information, and article from newspapers to websites will create distinctive personal instruments of artificial intelligence, and the wonder of AI-generated news will be a historic accomplishment for everybody
