By Favour Zimoni
With technology and artificial intelligence taking prominence in several sectors and professions through automated tasks, virtual assistance, generative ai and chatbot features, artificial intelligence has also found its way into the journalism profession with impressive capabilities like large data set analysis, speech to text transcription, text and audio translation into foreign languages, fact check tools and a host of others. Hence playing a pivotal role in the profession. According to the South South Bureau Chief of The Guardian newspaper, Ann Godwin, the emergence of artificial intelligence “cannot be wished away.”
In a conversation with journalists from various media houses in port Harcourt, the journalists affirmed AI’s growing influence in their job. Martha Okere, a correspondent with 92.3 Nigeria info Fm Port Harcourt says AI helps her with generating content like structuring questions. A Channels TV correspondent in Port Harcourt, Charles Opurum says after recording his voice over, he uploads it to an app that helps filter background noise and improve voice quality. These are basis tasks AI helps journalist perform.
However with these innovations are challenges. For Martha, “there is no human touch.” She observed that certain words are usually repeated, “limiting one’s perspective.” which is why she uses it as a template and afterward adds the human touch. Charles’ concern is that ” a lot of people can become lazy because of ai.” He is also worried at the rate with which deep fakes are made and how easily the “untrained eye” can be deceived.
It is In view of these practicalities that the Centre for Journalism Innovation and development is organizing a journalism, digital tech and AI conference to discuss rapid changes and advancements powered by artificial intelligence and how they influence news reports and news consumption. The conference will feature media operators, tech enthusiast, journalists, delibrating on the disruptions in the media by AI, enhancing AI skills, maintaining the vitality of journalism in an AI driven world. The closed event will hold on 27th May 2024 at the Abuja continental hotel. Journalists across the country can be a part of the program through the livestream and social media platforms.
