FOREWORD
REPORTING IN THE BRAVE NEW WORLD
THE past few years have witnessed a surge in the use of artificial intelligence(AI), a technology poised to revolutionise journalism and other media processes.
The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day Commemorations — Reporting in the brave new world: The impact of artificial intelligence on press freedom and the media — recognises the increasing centrality of AI in the journalism profession and the impact it may have on the media.
Much attention has been given to how AI can support content generation and enhance efficiency in journalistic work.
AI can also empower investigative journalism by breaking previously complex datasets and making them easily accessible to audiences.
In addition, AI has the potential to democratise access to information and freedom of expression, ensuring that more people have access to information for better informed decisions about their lives.
However, there is a dark side to the adoption of AI that sector stakeholders should be wary of. In a region such as Southern Africa that is already beset with digital inequalities, it can be argued that AI will reinforce existing divisions.
Digital divides exist in various forms, including literacy and gender gaps.
Furthermore, in an era where there are increased attacks on women journalists online, AI can only serve to accentuate these attacks and entrench the already existing gender digital divide.
AI also has the potential to exacerbate misinformation and disinformation — issues that are already a significant barrier to information access, journalistic integrity and citizen engagement.
There is consensus that misinformation and disinformation pose a threat to democracy, highlighting the need for concerted efforts to combat these vices.
However, AI presents new complexities that the journalism profession in Southern Africa may be ill-equipped for.
While the adoption of AI may still be in its early stages in the region, there is a need for proactive strategies and interventions to ensure that AI serves as a technology for good.
To ensure that AI serves its purpose in democratising freedom of expression and access to information, there is a need to establish an enabling regulatory and policy framework.
However, Southern African governments have been slow to develop enabling regulatory frameworks responsive to changing technological frameworks.
Southern African countries are at various stages of adopting AI policies. Interventions have often been slow and bureaucratic, which is counterproductive considering the pace at which technology is changing.
There is a need for renewed impetus in developing policy frameworks that promote the use of AI to promote freedom of expression and democracy.
Such policies should ensure that AI is not utilised to advance the surveillance and censorship of journalists and other civic actors considered critical of political authorities or corporate leaders.
When developing AI policies, lawmakers should consider the recently published Global Digital Compact as a supplementary document to the Pact for the Future agreed upon by United Nations member states in September 2024.
This should also be done in tandem with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy, which is foundational for accelerating the development and deployment of AI solutions.
AI is a data-hungry animal, so to speak, and digital transformation strategy is a precursor towards accelerating the development and deployment of AI solutions.
The document emphasises the urgent need to address violence amplifi ed by technology, including sexual and gender-based violence, hate speech, misinformation, cyberbullying, and child exploitation while protecting privacy and freedom of expression.
The Global Digital Compact calls for promoting integrity, tolerance, and respect in the digital space and strengthening international co-operation to combat online misinformation and hate speech in alignment with international law.
Thus, stakeholders must develop a policy framework that is inclusive, human rights-based, and upholds legal and ethical standards.
Globally and regionally, governments should demand transparency in the use of algorithms.
Transparency increases access to reliable sources, thereby enhancing the quality and diversity of reporting.
