21-05-2025
Bavarian press body head highlights dangers of AI without rules
Journalistic content should not be sold out to artificial intelligence (AI), the head of the Association of Bavarian Newspaper Publishers (VBZV), Andreas Scherer, cautioned at the association's annual meeting on Wednesday.
Without effective regulation, AI threatened not only the journalistic business model, but also free and professional reporting as a pillar of democracy, Scherer said at the event held in Brussels.
He noted that the large AI platforms were using the content produced by newspaper publishers to train their systems and for their own business models.
Automated preparation and production of journalistic content were replacing original journalism, and this represented a creeping loss of substance for press outlets, as well as for press freedom, Scherer said.
Prominent conservative Bavarian and European politician Manfred Weber stressed the importance of a free press. "A lively and diverse press landscape is a core component of the European way of life," he told the meeting.
At the meeting, Scherer was confirmed in office for a further two years.
The VBZV represents 33 Bavarian media organizations, along with their digital subsidiaries and individual members.
