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Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Is AI in the newsroom a tool, threat, or transformation? — Manjit Singh Sidhu
JULY 17 — Artificial Intelligence (AI) is altering the task of journalism in the ways the news is collected, processed, and delivered. Through automated summaries or tools that can identify deepfakes, AI provides newsrooms a means to increase productivity and velocity. 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. This article examines what AI can and cannot do for journalism, and how journalists will need to adapt to the new age in which we find ourselves. 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 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. As newsrooms, including those in Southeast Asia, press on with AI, it is worth considering both the opportunities and challenges. — Unsplash pic 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. * Prof Ts Dr Manjit Singh Sidhu is a Professor at the College of Computing and Informatics, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten). He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, Chartered IT Professional, Fellow of the Malaysian Scientific Association, Senior IEEE member and Professional Technologist MBOT Malaysia. He may be reached at [email protected] ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Mail & Guardian
04-06-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
How AI Is changing journalism and why we must detect it early
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword floating around Silicon Valley — it's already reshaping journalism, including here in South Africa. From helping newsrooms automate headlines to generating full-length articles, AI's influence is being felt in everything from productivity tools to editorial decisions. But with this powerful innovation comes a deeper responsibility: making sure readers know who—or what—is really behind the words they consume. That's where the role of an AI detector becomes crucial. AI's Rise in the Media: Help or Harm? Let's be clear: not all AI is bad for journalism. In fact, some of it is genuinely useful. South African newsrooms are experimenting with AI to assist with basic tasks—transcribing interviews, summarising data-heavy reports, and even analysing audience engagement trends. These tools free up time for journalists to focus on more critical work: investigations, deep analysis, and ground reporting. But problems arise when AI goes from assisting to replacing . When media outlets start using generative AI to write full articles—especially on complex or sensitive topics—several risks emerge: Lack of context: AI doesn't 'understand' the news. It predicts words based on data, which can lead to misleading headlines or out-of-touch narratives. No accountability: If a mistake is made, who takes responsibility? The machine or the human who used it? Erosion of trust: If readers suspect that journalism is being outsourced to algorithms, they may begin to distrust everything they read—even the good stuff. In a country like South Africa, where media plays a vital role in holding power to account and highlighting social inequalities, the stakes are even higher. Why We Need AI Detection Tools Now As the line between human-written and machine-generated content becomes blurrier, tools that can identify AI-generated text are no longer optional—they're essential. This is where AI detectors come in. Platforms like ZeroGPT allow editors, teachers, researchers, and even casual readers to paste in a piece of content and see whether it's likely written by a human or by AI. It's not just about pointing fingers—it's about transparency. Readers have a right to know whether what they're reading came from a journalist's lived experience or a language model trained on scraped internet data. AI detectors can also be a safeguard in academia, public policy, and even law areas where ghostwritten AI content could mislead decision-makers or be used to manipulate public opinion. Journalism Must Remain Human at Its Core The great value of journalism has always been its human touch. South African journalism, in particular, is built on stories told with cultural nuance, empathy, and lived reality. Whether it's a frontline report from a protest in Tshwane, a profile of an activist in Khayelitsha, or an investigation into corporate corruption, these are not just 'content pieces'—they are stories rooted in context, perspective, and social consequence. AI doesn't live in our communities. It doesn't experience injustice. It can't ask a follow-up question in an interview because it felt something was off. Journalists do. So while we may welcome AI as a tool, we must reject it as a substitute for the human voices that make journalism matter. What Readers Can Do If you're a regular reader of news—whether from Mail & Guardian or elsewhere—you don't need technical skills to become more media literate in the age of AI. Here are a few steps you can take: Ask questions : Does this article feel oddly generic? Does it lack quotes, context, or depth? Use AI detection tools : Free platforms like let you check whether a piece of text was likely AI-generated. Support ethical media : Subscribe to outlets that are transparent about how they create content and who writes it. Final Thoughts: Transparency Over Hype AI isn't going away—and nor should it. Used wisely, it can be a powerful support tool in modern journalism. But left unchecked, it risks diluting one of democracy's most critical pillars: an informed, empowered public. That's why tools like an AI detector should be part of every journalist's toolkit—not as a form of censorship, but as a commitment to truth and transparency. We must ensure that in our rush to embrace the future, we don't forget what made journalism valuable in the first place: human curiosity, accountability, and empathy.
