By REY WONG
Global Business Journalism reporter
In today's tech-savvy world, it’s almost impossible to avoid using artificial intelligence in our daily lives as well as in the working field. Without a doubt, this technology is changing the game, bit by bit and byte by byte. Such an incoming new norm has created questions and fears about this sometimes mysterious technology. While it can bring efficiencies to our work, it also poses new challenges to industries around the globe, especially to the journalism world.
Will AI destroy journalism as we know it (or knew it)? The answer certainly depends on how we decide to integrate it into our lives.
Here are five reasons that AI might not be the destroyer of the multimedia journalism world but the savior of your busy days in the land of news.
AI can save reporters and editors time
The introduction of AI into the newsrooms has greatly increased the efficiency of editorial work. This is also one of the main motivations for news organizations to adopt AI into their business, according to a report from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism.
One of the essential illustrations of AI tools that can boost productivity in multimedia reporting is providing instant AI transcripts. Tools like IFLYTEK help journalists interpret audio interviews into words within minutes. Unlike old-fashioned manual transcription, they use algorithms to analyze speech. AI tools can easily provide perfect transcripts even with background noise or multiple speakers. It is said to be faster and more accurate compared to the former.
2. It enhances the newsroom’s visual tools
On the other hand, we are in a world where audiences are said to have shorter focus spans. It is essential to jump out of the traditional trend-setting and try capturing the audience’s attention with enhanced visualizations.
People nowadays need more help from multimedia content to digest the overwhelming pieces of information around them. The 2023 Reuters Digital News Report shows that news quizzes are popular. A quarter of U.S. newspaper subscribers say they bought a subscription for this reason. With the help of AI tools, we can easily create images, infographics, videos, and interactive quizzes. For example, CapCut can help generate video content with subtitles in multiple languages that make content more accessible to the audiences.
3. It makes data analysis easier and faster
Data journalism can benefit from the application of AI tools. It was not easy for any journalist to go through a huge amount of data before they could conclude their findings into stories. It takes time, effort, and knowledge to screen and analyze them.
AI tools are opening up new windows for multimedia storytelling. It eases up the complex process of data mining, data crawling, and analysis with simple steps that people with no prior coding experience and can easily perform.
It can helps us fight misinformation
In the era of information explosion, fighting misinformation has become one of the most important missions for journalists. Fact-checking is the a fundamental step in tackling the flood of misinformation in our generation. However, fact-checking is a time-consuming and complex task for human fact-checkers. Hence, the news industry is exploring ways to combat misinformation with the aid of AI-powered tools.
Two of those tools that can simplify the process of fact-checking are Full Fact and Originality. But keep in mind that information provided by AI-powered tools still is imperfect. Human fact-checkers are still needed to ensure the accuracy of data. Humans must be the final arbiters of disinformation, not AI programs! AI is a tool.
5. It allows news sites to personalize news distribution
With programs such as AI Algorithm, the audience now can enjoy personalized news distribution. In other words, they can help readers become more likely to receive information they are interested in, creating more satisfied and engaged customers.
AI Algorithm will analyze the person’s interests, preferences and habits before recommending multimedia content to the person. It also can also be used to analyze regional preferences to better distribute information to people from targeted areas. It helps to promote user engagement and commitment to the media by ensuring users are presented with captivating content.
Summing things up, AI tools bring new possibilities and potential into the multimedia journalism world. By increasing work efficiency, enhancing visualization of data, easing data analysis, fighting misinformation and providing personalize news distribution, artificial intelligence can make a positive difference in a busy newsroom with tight deadlines.
However, those seeking an instant panacea or a budget-cutting solution may be disappointment. AI still faces many limitations, debates continue over use of AI tools in content creation for the industry.
But as long as we use this technology in an ethical way, AI can (and should) be an indispensable partner in daily journalistic endeavors.
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