Is AI in the newsroom a tool, threat, or a transformation?
But with such powers come profound questions: Can we trust AI-generated content? What becomes of journalists' jobs? And how do we ensure that ethics remain at the forefront?
As newsrooms, including those in Southeast Asia, press on with AI, it is worth considering both the opportunities and challenges.
AI is not aiming to replace journalists—it seeks to make their work easier. The technology is capable of handling tedious tasks like summarising articles, scanning through vast datasets, and writing initial reports.
However, the artistry of storytelling, emotional understanding, and values-based thinking are uniquely human traits that AI cannot replicate. A recent instance involving the fabrication of book titles in an AI-generated summer reading list illustrates its shortcomings.
Blunders like these demonstrate why human supervision is imperative. Ultimately, AI should be regarded as an alleviating aid, not a substitute.
Fast forward five years from now, the ideal newsroom is one in which AI is fully integrated, but journalists remain in control.
AI can manage tedious work such as sifting through data, customising content for different demographics, and drafting preliminary versions of stories.
This liberates reporters to focus on investigating, storytelling, and tough ethical decisions. The partnership between AI and human beings is crucial—AI offers up the data, and journalists supply the understanding.
Transparency, accountability, and regular training will ensure that newsrooms remain rooted in journalistic values.
AI excels at handling tasks that require processing large volumes of information. It can generate financial reports, sports news, or weather predictions in moments.
It also assists with verifying facts by swiftly comparing various sources. However, when it comes to comprehending cultural context, interpreting subtle cues, or making moral choices, AI continues to struggle.
It lacks human intuition and often amplifies biases present in its training data. This is where human judgement becomes essential.
Across Southeast Asia, news organisations are beginning to adopt AI, although the pace of implementation varies.
In Malaysia, Media Prima has announced plans to integrate AI across its operations by the end of 2024. Bernama is offering AI training for its staff and has previously experimented with AI-generated content, such as an Azan (call to prayer) video during Ramadan.
These preliminary steps show both growing interest and a clear recognition of the caution required in AI integration.
While AI can enhance productivity, excessive dependence on it may pose serious risks. It could lead to a decline in critical thinking, weaken ethical oversight, and undermine the human factor that lends journalism its trustworthiness.
That infamous summer reading list with imaginary books is only one example of what can go awry. If news organisations are not careful, over-reliance on AI might erode public confidence. The right balance—using AI as a tool, not a crutch—is crucial.
To maintain journalism's credibility, a multi-faceted strategy is essential. News organisations should use AI technologies to detect manipulated content while also equipping journalists with digital literacy and critical thinking skills.
Transparency is vital—AI-generated content should be clearly marked, and its role in the reporting process explicitly explained.
Above all, media outlets must establish and follow rigorous ethical standards regarding the use of AI. These actions will help preserve public trust.
AI will undoubtedly transform journalism, but that doesn't necessarily mean job losses. Instead, it's likely to create new roles focused on managing AI systems, curating content, and ensuring ethical compliance.
For example, Reuters uses an AI tool called Lynx Insight to help journalists identify emerging stories, freeing reporters to concentrate on more creative and investigative tasks. What's needed now is for journalists to upskill—to learn how to work with AI, not against it.
Journalists must acquire knowledge in data analysis, AI principles, and digital ethics to stay relevant. Understanding how AI functions and learning to interpret data responsibly will be crucial. In evaluating AI-generated content and guarding against misinformation, reporters will need strong digital literacy.
Even in the AI era, ethics and transparency must remain central values. With the right training, modern journalists can continue to be vital and relevant.
AI is rapidly integrating into the daily routines of journalism. While it offers immense benefits in speed and information processing, it can never replace the thoughtfulness, compassion, or ethical judgement that human journalists bring.
As newsrooms—particularly in Southeast Asia—embrace these technologies, caution, accountability, and a commitment to truth must guide their journey.
The journalists who adapt and learn to collaborate with AI will not just survive the changes— they will shape the future of trustworthy, meaningful journalism. ‒ July 16, 2025
Prof Ts Dr Manjit Singh Sidhu is a Professor at the College of Computing and Informatics, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Unsplash/Vanilla Bear Films
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
8 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Bursa faces choppy week ahead as US tariff decision looms, says analyst
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — The risk of higher United States (US) tariffs on Malaysia as the Aug 1 deadline draws near is likely to weigh on Bursa Malaysia next week, although domestically-oriented counters are expected to remain relatively resilient, supported by firm internal demand and fiscal tailwinds. UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said volatility is expected to intensify as markets approach a critical inflection point in global trade policy. 'Domestically-oriented counters on Bursa Malaysia are likely to remain relatively resilient. However, export-driven sectors may continue to face pressure in the absence of a favourable resolution to the tariff negotiations,' he told Bernama. He noted that no formal announcement has been made on the revised US tariff schedule for Malaysia. 'Should Malaysia succeed in securing a rate below the symbolic 20 per cent threshold, we anticipate renewed investor interest, particularly in the manufacturing and electrical and electronics sectors. Until then, most investors are expected to adopt a wait-and-see approach, prioritising capital preservation over risk-taking,' he said. Regionally, market focus is shifting towards renewed US–China trade diplomacy as Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is set to lead high-level negotiations in Sweden from July 27–30, ahead of the expiry of the 90-day tariff suspension on Aug 12. 'The outcome will be instrumental in shaping regional trade sentiment and broader market tone heading into August,' Mohd Sedek said. Globally, investor attention remains fixed on a packed US macroeconomic calendar, particularly with the upcoming the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on July 30, the June Personal Consumption Expenditure inflation print and July non-farm payrolls, which will provide important policy signals. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said market participants will turn their focus to China's July Purchasing Managers Index as well as Eurozone Consumer Price Index. For the week just ended, optimism spurred by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 'appreciation package' and renewed confidence in domestic fiscal support lifted utilities and consumer counters, but the momentum proved short-lived as broad-based selling later overshadowed mid-week support from telco stocks. For the week under review, the benchmark index rose 7.90 points to 1,533.76 on Friday from 1,525.86 a week earlier. The FBM Emas Index increased 26.99 points to 11,506.82 and the FBMT 100 Index gained 28.03 points to 11,269.72, but the FBM Emas Shariah Index slid 8.89 points to 11,528.98, the FBM 70 Index dipped 90.15 points to 16,607.57 and the FBM ACE Index dropped 32.77 points to 4,639.02. By sector, the Financial Services Index jumped 99.4 points to 17,454.23, the Plantation Index reduced 7.10 points to 7,434.79 and the Energy Index went up 0.21 of a point to 739.85. Weekly turnover narrowed to 11.92 billion units worth RM11.43 billion from 15.53 billion units worth RM11.77 billion in the previous week. Main Market volume slid to 6.63 billion units valued at RM9.70 billion compared with 6.73 billion units valued at RM10.07 billion previously. Warrant turnover grew to 7.10 billion units worth RM1.15 billion from 6.83 billion units worth RM966.72 million in the preceding week. ACE Market volume shrank to 1.68 billion units valued at RM577.05 million versus 1.97 billion units valued at RM729.96 million previously. — Bernama
The Star
38 minutes ago
- The Star
People are starting to talk more like ChatGPT
Artificial intelligence, the theory goes, is supposed to become more and more human. Chatbot conversations should eventually be nearly indistinguishable from those with your fellow man. But a funny thing is happening as people use these tools: We're starting to sound more like the robots. A study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin has found that AI is not just altering how we learn and create, it's also changing how we write and speak. The study detected 'a measurable and abrupt increase' in the use of words OpenAI's ChatGPT favours – such as delve, comprehend, boast, swift, and meticulous – after the chatbot's release. 'These findings,' the study says, 'suggest a scenario where machines, originally trained on human data and subsequently exhibiting their own cultural traits, can, in turn, measurably reshape human culture.' Researchers have known ChatGPT-speak has already altered the written word, changing people's vocabulary choices, but this analysis focused on conversational speech. Researchers first had OpenAI's chatbot edit millions of pages of emails, academic papers, and news articles, asking the AI to 'polish' the text. That let them discover the words ChatGPT favoured. Following that, they analysed over 360,000 YouTube videos and 771,000 podcasts from before and after ChatGPT's debut, then compared the frequency of use of those chatbot-favoured words, such as delve, realm, and meticulous. In the 18 months since ChatGPT launched, there has been a surge in use, researchers say – not just in scripted videos and podcasts but in day-to-day conversations as well. People, of course, change their speech patterns regularly. Words become part of the national dialogue and catch-phrases from TV shows and movies are adopted, sometimes without the speaker even recognising it. But the increased use of AI-favoured language is notable for a few reasons. The paper says the human parroting of machine-speak raises 'concerns over the erosion of linguistic and cultural diversity, and the risks of scalable manipulation.' And since AI trains on data from humans that are increasingly using AI terms, the effect has the potential to snowball. 'Long-standing norms of idea exchange, authority, and social identity may also be altered, with direct implications for social dynamics,' the study says. The increased use of AI-favoured words also underlines a growing trust in AI by people, despite the technology's immaturity and its tendency to lie or hallucinate. 'It's natural for humans to imitate one another, but we don't imitate everyone around us equally,' study co-author Levin Brinkmann tells Scientific American. 'We're more likely to copy what someone else is doing if we perceive them as being knowledgeable or important.' The study focused on ChatGPT, but the words favoured by that chatbot aren't necessarily the same standbys used by Google's Gemini or Perplexity's Claude. Linguists have discovered that different AI systems have distinct ways of expressing themselves. ChatGPT, for instance, leans toward a more formal and academic way of communicating. Gemini is more conversational, using words such as sugar when discussing diabetes, rather than ChatGPT's favoured glucose, for instance. (Grok was not included in the study, but, as shown with its recent meltdown, where it made a series of antisemitic comments – something the company attributed to a problem with a code update – it heavily favours a flippant tone and wordplay.) 'Understanding how such AI-preferred patterns become woven into human cognition represents a new frontier for psycholinguistics and cognitive science,' the Max Planck study says. 'This measurable shift marks a precedent: machines trained on human culture are now generating cultural traits that humans adopt, effectively closing a cultural feedback loop.' – Inc./Tribune News Service
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
FBM KLCI Futures To Trade Within Narrow Range Next Week On Cautious Sentiment
WORLD By Harizah Hanim Mohamed KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) -- The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is expected to trade within a narrow range next week, tracking the underlying cash market. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd equity research vice-president Thong Pak Leng said the resistance level is located at 1,540 and the support at 1,520, with the FBM KLCI is likely to remain range-bound between 1,510 and 1,540 in the coming week. 'Over the past few weeks, the benchmark index has repeatedly tested and hovered around the 1,530 without making a clear breakout. The ongoing sideways movement since June, coupled with thinning volume, signals cautious investor sentiment,' he told Bernama. On a weekly basis, the spot month July 2025 and August 2025 contracts gained four points each to 1,531.5 and 1,528.5, respectively. September 2025 added 5.5 points to 1,509.5, while December 2025 inched up 3.5 points to 1,511.5. Turnover for the week improved to 28,103 lots from 25,123 lots in the previous week, while open interest jumped to 48,755 contracts from 38,963 contracts previously. The FBM KLCI ended the week better, advancing 7.90 points to 1,533.76 from 1,525.86 in the previous week. -- BERNAMA
