Ally or enemy – How AI is changing the media industry and what we could achieve if we saved 500 hours a year?

According to research published last year, people spend an average of 84 minutes a day searching for information necessary to do their jobs, journalists probably even more. That’s almost an hour and a half of time a day that could be used for more creative, productive or strategically important activities. When this data is analyzed on an annual basis, we arrive at an incredible 500 hours lost in the search for data. Imagine what could be achieved if this time were redirected to analysis, research or innovative thinking.

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the question arises - can we significantly shorten this time and use it for more important things? American expert on strategies in the field of AI Mark Briggs believes that the answer is affirmative.

– Artificial intelligence can help journalists and media professionals do their jobs faster and smarter. It has the ability to synthesize a huge amount of information and help journalists get to the essential data they are looking for faster – Briggs explains for eKapija.

Empyrean Group founder and AI strategist with more than two decades of leadership and organizational transformation experience adds that investigative journalists in the US are already using AI to analyze more documents than previously possible, significantly improving the quality of investigative reporting.

Briggs, who has been involved in the issues at the intersection of news, media and innovation since 2000, believes that if used the right way, artificial intelligence can help create “better journalism”. The time we used to search for information we can now use to simply “be people” - leaders, colleagues, managers...



Risks and the phenomenon of “deepfake” videos

However, with all the benefits, AI also brings challenges. One of the key risks is the bias and accuracy of the information that AI offers.

– Chatbots and other technologies do not “know” anything. It's just a pattern that joins words together, based on the data it’s been “trained on”. If we understand that all AI is really doing is putting words into a pattern that it thinks will make us happy, then we’ll also understand that sometimes that pattern isn’t right and needs checking. So, we have to be careful in using these tools – said Briggs.

A recent case in Serbia shows how real the risks are. The national television broadcast an AI-generated video of director Emir Kusturica during prime time, without a clear notification that it was a simulated recording.

Briggs warns that today “it is so easy to create fake news, photos, graphics and videos” that a higher level of skepticism towards digital content must be developed.

– Media professionals must put extra effort into confirming and verifying information based on reliable sources. Media organizations must be the ones to help the public understand where the risks are and how to recognize potential false information. In the USA, many reputable media highlight terms like “verified” or “confirmed” in order to make it clear to the audience that they can trust certain information – says our interviewee.

How to start?

Briggs advises anyone new to AI technologies to start small.

– I suggest that people use AI tools for five minutes a day. Think about what you want to achieve that day, what questions you are trying to answer, what information to get. Experiment with tools like ChatGPT and learn how they can help you. AI is a technology of broad application, which is drastically different from most of the software we grew up with. But it also means that it can be adapted to different needs – concludes Briggs.

Ivana Zikic

Mark Briggs

artificial intelligence

journalism

media

AI

deepfake