On Sept. 16, former Politico technology reporter Michael Farrell and leading artificial intelligence expert and ASU staff member Usha Jagannathan led a discussion on AI and its potential impacts on the media industry in downtown Phoenix.
Farrell and Jagannathan explored how AI can transform the media in the future, examining its potential benefits and pitfalls and offering ways for AI companies to create communities to help prevent possible negative side effects.
AI is expected to have a significant impact on the media in the coming years, such as changing writing, editing and video production. According to Farrell, AI advancements in subjects such as voice cloning, writing, and deepfake technology could have a negative impact.
One fear is this new technology could significantly affect transparency. A main concern is the inability to know who created what that could lead to a trust disaster between the media and its consumers, furthering the already existing divide.
“We are moving rapidly to a future where we are not going to be able to know who created what,” Farrell said.
Critics of the growth have shared concerns about a public over reliance on AI, and if AI eventually dies like other fads or can no longer be used, people may be unsure what to do without it.
Though AI as a product is not the main danger, the people who create the programming could cause problems that would directly affect people with media-related jobs.
Other potential issues with AI’s increasing popularity in the media industry include AI companies not implementing core journalism values such as transparency and accuracy, and some programs have even been shown to have bias built into them.
Though there are concerns about AI and its dangers, some ASU students, such as journalism major Aiden Hanley, believe AI can be beneficial in many ways, such as summarizing lengthy articles and pointing out key concepts.
“I believe AI, if used correctly, could be a great help to media and journalism,” Hanley said.
In other media fields, AI has been a beneficial tool. Local Phoenix blogger and journalism student Tyler Mitchell believes AI can be a great tool for journalists.
“I feel like as journalists, AI could help because fact-checking always needs to be done and it’s a tool to help us make sure our work is efficient,” Mitchell said.
With both positive and negative effects AI could have on the media, there is an emphasis on holding AI companies accountable.
Jagannathan defined an ideal AI company as a company dedicated to keeping AI transparent, accurate, and free of bias. It would also ensure that everyone involved is dedicated to keeping AI free from possible negative effects.
Though there is talk of AI and its potential effects in the field, AI has yet to significantly impact the media industry. However, with rapidly changing technology, only time will tell whether AI will positively or negatively affect the media world. As Farrell acknowledges, there is no harm in being ready to use it.
“I think it will be embraced. We are going to need to find out as an industry how to use it effectively,” Farrell said.
Edited by Shi Bradley, Anyon Fak-McDaniels
