Namibian journalists have been urged to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), as it brings many benefits to their profession.
The call was made by various news editors at the Future of Journalism Education in Southern Africa conference in Windhoek. AI has captured many professions and is effectively used internationally. Namibia has been following the latest trend and is starting to witness significant shifts in the way news is produced and delivered.
Speaking at the conference, news editors noted that newsrooms are increasingly utilising AI-powered tools to streamline their reporting processes. They say these tools assist journalists in tasks such as data analysis, content curation, and generating written content.
"How does AI help the journalist, the producer in the newsroom, including the editorial staff and the technical team, to ensure that what we put out there is what the audience wants? Yes, yes, we do that at the moment; it's randomly used, and I am saying this because we have yet to come up with a newsroom policy guideline that will really guide how to use it. For example, if we use it to gather news, how do you credit the reporter or the producer? Do you credit them, as we cannot take the work that does not belong to us?" said nbc Chief of News and Programming, Menesia Muinjo.
"From my side, it's about disclosure, and I also want to come in there with Menesia. We are also in the process of developing a policy around the use of AI, so ethically, at what point do you disclose and pinpoint your content on your platforms that need to be part of the policy?" added The Namibian Editor, Ashley Smith.
Also contributing to the discussion was David Bishop, the Broadcast Editor at Future Media, who said "We got the idea that the AI tools can help us, but there will be a push back myself, meaning I have to change the way I do things and take time to ask Chatgpt. Once we get into that workflow, it can be a lot faster and more efficient, but we need to get to the point where we are comfortable adopting it. But also, the issue of understanding what AI is and getting Chatgpt to write your story is the same as using Grammarly, which is also AI but we only see Chatgpt."
With AI in the picture, there is concern about job displacement in traditional journalism. However, the editors say AI should be seen as a tool that enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them. They also emphasised that it is essential that media houses strike a balance between the power of AI and the irreplaceable role of human journalists.
The conference was held under the theme Enhancing Journalism Excellence in the Digital Era.