Reshaping the role of journalists in the age of disruptive GenAI

By Aditya Negi

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is a tout word nowadays, as it is considered as future technology. GenAI is revolutionizing every sector of society.With its capacity to generate human-like text, images, audio, and video at scale, GenAI has brought both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges for the society. Trending tools of GenAI like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now perform tasks that were once done by humans only like drafting articles, summarizing data, and producing multimedia content.Given the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into various domains, it is also being widely used in media and journalism sector. The advent of GenAI marks a pivotal turning point for journalism. GenAI automates and augments traditional tasks, the journalist’s value proposition is moving from being a mere content creator to a critical thinker and innovator.

For decades, the journey of a news story has been a laborious, linear process. A journalist identifies a story, conducts interviews, transcribes conversations, sifts through mountains of data, drafts the article, and then works with editors to polish it for publication. Each step is a time-consuming, human-driven endeavor. GenAI is poised to disrupt this entire workflow. News organizations like The Associated Press and Reuters are already using AI to generate routine content, such as sports recaps and financial reports, from structured data. This automation frees human journalists from the tedious, repetitive tasks that have long been a part of their job.

Even though GenAI can assist with translation, transcription, fact-checking, investigative research and analysis of vast datasets, still it requires human supervision and oversight. As the same tools that enhance productivity also pose existential risks. Deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation, and synthetic content blur the line between reality and fabrication.A study on three media organisations in The Netherlands and Denmark highlighted some of these challenges of usingGenAI in media organisations. These challenges include incompetence of editorial judgment, possibility for algorithm bias, inaccuracy, and the trepidation of loss of journalistic autonomy. Keeping in mind the growing ethical issues of using GenAI, some Arabian countries like Egypt, Syria,Libya, Bahrain, Sudan, and Yemen have banned the use of GenAI for journalists. While on the other hand, many developed countries like USA, UK and China are continuously promoting GenAI in their workflows. India is also promoting the use of GenAI as the government has recently launched the National AI Mission, with the vision to become a world leader in AI.

Many people are increasingly concerned that GenAI could eventually replace humans in the field of journalism and media. This fear has intensified with the recent launch of AI-powered news anchors in countries like China, India, and South Korea. These AI anchors can deliver news 24/7 in multiple languages without breaks, errors, or salaries, challenging the traditional role of human broadcasters. As GenAI tools become more sophisticated, capable of writing articles, analyzing data, and even simulating interviews, the boundary between machine-generated and human journalism continues to blur. Critics argue that while AI may enhance efficiency, it risks stripping journalism of its human touch, empathy, and ethical judgment. The rise of synthetic news presenters (AI Avatars) has created a broader anxiety among journalists and other stakeholders over the speculations that cost-cutting media organizations may prioritize automation over authenticity, reducing opportunities for real journalists and weakening the critical human elements that build trust and credibility in news reporting.

But many believe that GenAI cannot replicate the core human elements of journalism. AI cannot build the trust required for a sensitive interview with a human source. It cannot exercise the nuanced judgment needed to decide which facts are most relevant to a story. It cannot feel empathy for a community affected by a tragedy or understand the cultural context that gives a story its full meaning. These are the inherently human qualities that will define a journalist’s enduring values. The role is evolving from a purveyor of information to a trusted sense-maker—someone who can cut through the automated content, verify what is real, provide context, and tell stories that resonate with the human experience.

In this disruptive era of GenAI, it can be said that GenAI is a good servant, but a bad master for journalists.The future of journalism lies in its ability to adapt without compromising its mission. In a world flooded with synthetic information, the journalist’s voice grounded in truth, integrity, and accountability becomes more vital than ever. By embracing innovation while upholding the principles that define the profession, journalists can reshape their role and reaffirm their relevance in the digital age.

 

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