Moses Okanya, Emmanuel Eze and Kelechi OgbuVice-Chancellor of Federal University, Kashere, Gombe, Professor Umaru Pate, has said that Artificial Intelligence (AI), one of the disruptive digital technologies of the 21st century, has come to revolutionize different professions, especially journalism and that practitioners must embrace the challenges it presents and adapt to make positive use of it.
Prof. Pate stated this on Thursday, 18 April during the 2024 International Conference organised by the Mass Communication Department of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) The theme of the conference was “Artificial Intelligence, Communication and Knowledge Economy in the 21st Century.”
Pate, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, gave a clear definition of what AI means stating, “Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of a machine or computer that enables it to imitate or mimic human capabilities.” He further explained that AI is the intelligence of a computer or machine created by humans to help it behave like humans.
He noted that “AI uses multiple technologies that equip the machines to sense, comprehend, plan, act, and learn with human-like level.”
AI and Journalism
Speaking on Artificial intelligence in relation to the field of of journalism and communication, Prof. Pate pointed out that what should be Journalists’ concern in this age that as much as AI has come to revolutionize the existing pattern of news gathering and dissemination, it has some benefits and also presents some challenges to Journalists as well.
“Communication is the exchange of information between different parties at different levels; be it for positive or negative purposes, communication and AI are related, especially in the aspect of AI like machine translation” he stated.
The cerebral mass communication scholar further advised that students and journalism practitioners should rather adapt to the trends in order not to be left out, urging authorities in the education system to also adapt and follow the trends of time by creating an enabling environment for learning that will produce scholars that can function in an era like this.
“If you want to think about the future of Journalism, think about the technology. AI technology is here with us, with great prospects and threats to Journalism.
“Invest in innovation and increase our knowledgeability and capabilities to catch up with the rest of the world. Analog manager plus digital technology is useless”, he stated.
AI Poses Threat To Jobs – Dr Mbamalu
Also, speaking at the conference, Dr. Marcel Mbamalu, CEO of NewsTide Publications Limited, publishers of Prime Business Africa, expressed concern that Artificial Intelligence poses a threat to human jobs, especially Journalists.
Dr Mbamalu, who was the lead paper presenter at the conference, lamented the gradual dominance of AI in the field of journalism which he says has led to loss of jobs in the sector due to the ability of some robots which he called “Technology Intelligence” to deliver information faster and easier in this age and time.
In his words “How can Machines take over our job?, How can robots take over the responsibility function of humans?
“Before now it is computer but humans have moved from producing computer that performs specific tasks into creating robots with the capacity to compete with human Intelligence which is the most distinguishing characteristic of humans.”
READ ALSO: Ideological Differences Influencing Powerful Nations’ Stance On AI Regulation – Dr Mbamalu
The media scholar and entrepreneur, however, urged Nigerian Journalists not to run away from this innovation but rather sit up and utilize its power for their benefit.
“Africa has always been left behind by revolutions starting from Agriculture to the Industrial Revolution as well as communication and Information technologies and now Technological Intelligence.
“Now is the time for Journalists to face the challenges and make the most of these technologies at their disposal,” he advised.
Mbamalu went further to highlight some AI apps that journalists can actually use to improve their work efficiency in terms of generating story ideas, writing and editing stories and to also creating stories that are free of grammatical blunders namely: Answerthepublic.com, copymatic.ai, Jasper, ZeroGPT, Steve.ai, Grammarly, Imlarger and a host of others.
He also pointed out that the problem is not about the machines but about the misuse of the machines, stating that there is a need for a clear knowledge of how they are used, being aware that Africa has always been left behind in revolution and therefore, should increase their attention to the study and the use of AI.
Moses Okanya
Emmanuel Eze
