Emily Bell
director Tow Center for Digital Journalism
Natali Helberger
University of Amsterdam
Ritu Kapur
co-founder and managing director Quint Digital Media Ltd
Felix Simon
Oxford Internet Institute
AI has become a pivotal tool in news and journalism. News organisations around the world have harnessed traditional and generative AI to analyse large datasets, automate routine tasks, personalise news delivery, and even aid in news reporting. However, the integration of AI into journalism is not without its challenges and raises difficult ethical and regulatory questions around issues such as accuracy, bias, transparency, accountability, and the concentration of power. A growing number of news organisations have tackled these challenges head-on, developing AI guidelines and policies. Meanwhile, different regulatory bodies are working in similar directions, establishing standards and regulations to ensure that the use of AI in journalism and the information ecosystem at large adheres to ethical principles and fosters a pluralistic and safe public sphere and that the technology does not become concentrated in the hand of a few companies.
The primary objective of this panel is to 1) discuss and debate the various approaches to regulating AI in news and journalism and 2) provide inspiration for journalists and organisations seeking to develop their own AI strategies in a complex AI landscape. Bringing together experts from the fields of journalism, policy, and academia from Northern America, Europe, and the Global South, we will delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Topics the panel will discuss are:
1. Principles and policies of (responsible) AI in journalism, including transparency, fairness, and accountability, exploring how these can guide the development and use of AI in news organisations and discussing e.g. the balance and tensions between AI’s benefits and ethical challenges.
2. The effects of AI in shaping the information environment and the need for regulation, with a focus on information quality, diversity, and accessibility – as well as the challenges of deepfakes and other AI-driven misinformation, that newsrooms need technology, funding, and training to combat.
3. The role of AI firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic but also Google and Microsoft who wield significant power over the use of AI in the news and more generally, and the fraught relationship between these and news organisations, as the former seek to advance the technology and the latter seek to protect their position.
We believe that this discussion will contribute to the development of robust and effective strategies for approaching AI in the news industry, ensuring that these technologies are used responsibly, ethically, and to the benefit of journalism and societies around the world.
Moderated by Felix Simon.
