Keep up with AI or risk being left behind, media practitioners told

KUCHING: Media practitioners and organisations must start moving at full tilt in keeping up with artificial intelligence (Al) technology or risk being left behind by irresponsible parties, according to Professor Charlie Beckett.

Beckett, who is from the London School of Economics and Political Science, said Al has been around for quite a while now, and 'bad people' are already operating the technology for illegal purposes such as scamming or creating fake content.

"They (bad people) are already using this technology, so we don't have a choice. If you think you could do good journalism or create reliable information, you must get out there and compete with the bad guys.

"So we've got to use this technology responsibly, and we've got to do it right now. The bad guys are always finding new ways to technology in a criminal way or just bad way that doesn't benefit society," he said.

He told reporters this after his session at the Sarawak Media Conference (SMEC) 2024 on "AI for Good: How AI Can Help Journalism and Media, and Real Life Examples of AI Applications in Journalism" here today.

The two-day conference, themed "Media Evolution in the Digital Era," kicked off yesterday with the participation of around 600 local and international attendees.

SMEC 2024 is held in conjunction with the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2024, which runs for three days from Saturday and will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this afternoon.

Yesterday, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, in his speech at SMEC 2024, said Al is a double-edged sword that can be both beneficial in daily life and misused, hence presenting a significant challenge for humankind.

In response, Beckett said Al is a technology created and used by humans so they could decide whether to be responsible journalists who use the technology to create exciting and accessible information or people who use it to create misinformation.

"... the vital thing is to think about your responsibility, not just the technology. The difference against Al is we can all access it; anybody can start using this technology so quickly, and that itself is pretty dangerous.

"... journalism (revolves) around important topics such as the pandemic or national crisis or whether something to do with finances or stock exchange ... that information matters, so I think it is essential that journalists use this technology responsibly," he added.

About 1,000 guests, comprising media practitioners from Malaysia and 12 other countries, have gathered in Kuching since Saturday for HAWANA 2024, held for the first time in the Land of the Hornbills.

They are representatives of media clubs and organisations from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Timor Leste, China, South Korea, Qatar, France and Kuwait.

This largest gathering of Malaysian journalists is organised by the Communications Ministry in collaboration with the Sarawak state government, with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) being the implementing agency.

-- BERNAMA

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