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Experts at the University of Miami School of Communication share their thoughts on how AI can help, rather than supplant, journalists.
The growing integration of artificial intelligence across various fields has sparked debates about its potential to replace human workers. However, in journalism, experts at the University of Miami School of Communication view AI primarily as a powerful tool to augment, rather than supplant, human journalists. Boriana Treadwell, a senior lecturer, leads one of the school’s AI task force streams and believes that when used responsibly and ethically, AI is incredibly beneficial. Traditionally, journalists spent considerable time on routine, menial tasks that can now be efficiently handled by AI. This automation frees journalists to dedicate more time to critical aspects of their work, such as on-the-ground reporting and in-depth investigation. Specific applications of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude are numerous. They can accurately transcribe audio interviews into text, generate and organize timelines for complex stories, and efficiently scan vast amounts of data from various sources, including texts, public records, and legal documents. Moreover, AI can summarize lengthy governmental and legal documents, highlighting key points and making complex information more accessible. It can also identify significant trends hidden within diverse texts, providing journalists with compelling angles for new stories. For content creation, AI can offer multiple suggested headlines tailored to the article's style, improving efficiency in news production. In broadcasting, AI's capabilities extend to cleaning up video and audio, providing necessary captions, and even extending music tracks when required. Generative AI is also used by several news organizations, such as The Cleveland Plain Dealer, to draft initial news stories based on reporter's notes, which are then reviewed and refined by human editors, ensuring quality control. Other prominent news outlets like The Associated Press, Business Insider, Bloomberg, and Yahoo News are actively exploring various AI applications to enhance their news coverage and operational efficiency.
While the utility of AI in journalism is undeniable, experts strongly emphasize that it cannot replace the indispensable role of human journalists. Marcia Gomez, a senior lecturer who developed a course on AI in public relations, highlights that while AI chatbots excel at accelerating drafting and summarizing tasks, they fundamentally lack the human touch required for authentic reporting. AI cannot foster the trust essential for building relationships with sources, nor can it replicate the critical thinking involved in digging for facts and making complex editorial judgments. Major newsrooms that experiment with AI consistently maintain human oversight, ensuring journalists remain responsible for vetting content and maintaining accountability. The integration of AI into news production also presents significant ethical challenges. Boriana Treadwell underscores the paramount importance of transparency from news organizations regarding their use of AI. Audiences deserve to know when AI has contributed to the news they consume. Furthermore, a crucial safeguard involves human reporters and editors diligently checking all AI-generated output for inaccuracies, commonly referred to as 'hallucinations.' AI models can sometimes produce plausible-sounding but factually incorrect information, making human verification indispensable for maintaining journalistic integrity. To reinforce this accountability among her students, Treadwell requires them to maintain meticulous records of their reporting process, whether through written notes or taped interviews, allowing for thorough review. She stresses that accountability is a cornerstone of the journalism profession, and this principle must extend to the use of AI. The University of Miami School of Communication is actively addressing these issues, planning a one-day event on April 10 to explore the multifaceted impact of AI on communication, indicating a commitment to understanding and guiding its ethical deployment in the field.