Artificial Intelligence has been around for a few years now and the effects of it are beginning to be seen in schools, movies, and journalism. When it comes to journalism, AI implementation can have fatal repercussions on the journalism system by causing ethical issues and will lead to many journalists being replaced with AI. While there can be some benefits of utilizing AI in journalism, they are quickly outweighed by the consequences that will come from over implementation of AI.
When it comes to using AI in journalism, ethical issues with programming cannot be ignored. One issue that could arise from AI use is that the bias in AI algorithms can lead to misleading and incorrect information that can confuse or distract people from the real issues. In an article by Business Wire titled “The Intersection of AI, Fake News, and Racial Bias”, the author states, “AI-powered algorithms used by social media platforms and search engines can inadvertently promote misinformation by prioritizing sensational or polarizing content for the sake of higher engagement. This can create echo chambers where users are exposed to content that reinforces their existing beliefs (including about race), regardless of its accuracy”.
The propaganda and misinformation that can be spread due to AI is staggering, and misleading articles and fake pictures have already been spread all throughout the internet. The effects of this became apparent during the presidential election when AI articles and pictures began circulating the internet. In an article written by NPR entitled “AI- generated images have become a new form of propaganda this election season, the author says“ This election cycle, such AI-generated synthetic images have proliferated on social media platforms, often after politically charged news events. People watching online platforms and the election closely say that these images are a way to spread partisan narratives with facts often being irrelevant”.
AI generated photos and articles can have a big effect on people’s opinions on social and political matters, and AI can be programmed in such ways that you are only given media that reinforces your current biases. In an article by Tableau titled “Artificial Intelligence algorithms: a complete overview”, the author explains that AI algorithms are trained by taking “in training data (labeled or unlabeled, supplied by developers, or acquired by the program itself) and uses that information to learn and grow… Some types of AI algorithms can be taught to learn on their own and take in new data to change and refine their process. Others will need the intervention of a programmer in order to streamline.”
The steps that it takes to program AI leaves much room for error and bias to be implemented into the algorithm. The use of AI in journalism can lead to misleading and biased stories that can be used to manipulate one’s opinions and alter their political and social beliefs.
Another main effect of AI implementation in journalism is the ability of news companies to fire many employees and replace them with AI. In an article titled “AI: Chatbots replace journalists” written by DW News, the author exposes an email written by Bild, a popular German tabloid, to its staff that says it would, “unfortunately part with colleagues who have tasks that will be replaced by AI and/or processes in the digital world. The functions of editorial directors, page editors, proofreaders, secretaries, and photo editors will no longer exist as they do today.”
Journalists all around the world have already started to be replaced by AI, and this will lead to many people being laid off due to news companies that don’t want to pay for employees or deal with unions.
Some make the argument that AI may not be used to replace journalists, but may be used by journalists to make their work easier. A guide posted by the University of North Carolina library [“Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI for Media & Journalism: AI and Journalism”] states, “AI can generate news articles on routine topics such as sports scores, financial reports, and weather updates. This allows journalists to focus on more complex and investigative stories”. While this could end up being the case, the author of “‘Artificial Intelligence in the News’ and How AI Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena” which was posted by the Columbia University Journalism School states that, “it is not a given that AI will free up news workers to do deeper or better journalism. It is just as likely that any time savings will immediately be filled with new or additional demands.”
While AI is currently unable to replace every position in journalism, such as meeting with whistleblowers and making calls to sources, CUJS notes that “there are no guarantees this will remain the case. AI is sufficiently mature to enable the replacement of at least some journalism jobs, either directly or because fewer workers are needed.”
Due to these possible threats, many journalist unions are calling for protection from Congress and other government entities to ensure creative jobs such as journalism and film production/ writing are not threatened by AI.
The implementation of AI in journalism may have a few beneficial effects, overall, the implementation of AI in journalism can lead to detrimental results that include biased manipulation of viewers and information, as well as a high probability of journalists being dismissed and replaced by AI.