The UAE's Minister of Artificial Intelligence said on Wednesday that the rapid adoption of the tech tool will “transform the media industry,” but promised that its widespread adoption will create jobs in the industry rather than destroy them.
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, told the Arab Media Forum in Dubai that journalists who “embrace and use AI” should not fear the rapidly changing media landscape.
Al-Olama, who was appointed the world's first AI minister in 2017, cited concerns that the spread of increasingly sophisticated deepfakes could lead to AI technology being used to manipulate public opinion.
“AI will transform the media sector in the future. It will bring huge possibilities to the media sector,” Al Olama said during a panel discussion at the event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
“Journalists need to keep up with the pace of AI developments to improve their performance and leverage the technology's capabilities in content creation.”
The forum explored the possibility of AI systems carrying out tasks previously performed by employees, leading to job cuts in areas such as report writing, video editing and graphic design.
The new wave of AI systems could also impact job markets around the world, according to a Goldman Sachs report published last year, which warned that changes to workflows caused by these advancements could result in the loss of 300 million full-time jobs to automation.
“Whether jobs will be lost or created in the media industry in the future will depend on those working in the industry. Those who adopt and use AI tools in their work will not lose their jobs,” Al Olama said.
“We should have a positive vision because AI will increase productivity and create more jobs.
“We are witnessing the first stages of change in the media sector. In the future, we will be able to use AI engines to create content and scripts.”
Regulating AI
Al Olama said the UAE was one of the first countries to create laws regulating the appropriate use of AI.
“I know there are concerns about using AI to manipulate public opinion, as in the US presidential election,” he said.
“The UAE has laws in place to regulate the use of AI and prevent it from being used to promote defamatory or immoral content, as well as illegal uses of AI technology.”
Mohammed Al Mulla, CEO of Arab Media Group, which runs Arabian Network and Global Village, said the region's young demographic was an important consideration when delivering media coverage.
“Around 60 percent of future jobs in the media sector will require digital and technology skills,” Al Mulla said.
Wael Boubaker, 27, who graduated from a degree in media and communications in Tunisia and is now studying for a master's in media in the UK, said the media is in a transition from traditional forms of news gathering to the digital age.
“We live in a time when we have a lot of conflict and climate change issues. The problem is fake news,” Boubaker said. The National.
“We are moving from mainstream media to digital media because people can watch and get news on their mobile phones. Digital media is the media of the future.”
He said the media needed to change with the times to help readers distinguish fake news from real.
“The media needs to educate people on how to spot fake news. The government should raise awareness on how to spot fake news, and people should know which platforms to go to for real news.”
Evolving with the times
The Associated Press was one of the first news agencies to adopt AI technology in 2014.
The company's business desk has begun automating stories about corporate earnings to allow reporters to focus on more in-depth reporting.
According to a survey conducted by a news media outlet, 70% of respondents said they use AI for content creation.
A Kuwaiti media outlet has made headlines by using AI to create a virtual news anchor.
“Feda” debuted on the Twitter account of Kuwait News, the Kuwaiti affiliate. Kuwait Timeslast year.
Kuwait News deputy editor-in-chief Abdullah Bohtein told AFP the move tested the potential of AI to provide “new and innovative content”.
But the potential pitfalls of AI's influence have been made clear by scandals such as: Sports Illustrated last year.
Technology website Futurism reported that a US media outlet founded in the 1950s had published AI-generated articles using fake author names.
Sports Illustrated He disputed the reports but said an internal investigation had been launched.
The Arab Media Forum, part of the three-day Arab Media Summit, concludes on Wednesday.
Updated: May 29, 2024 12:38 PM
