AI a threat to long-form journalism, human writing essential: US researcher  

Seattle, Washington State, USA: Long-form journalism will be the loser in the long run to artificial intelligence (AI) when it comes to making a report or story shorter and comprehensive, according to a researcher at the University of Washington, USA.

Assistant Teaching Professor at the Department of Communication, University of Washington, Dr Anis Rahman (right), talks to ASEAN journalists on October 29.

Assistant Teaching Professor at the university’s Department of Communication, Dr Anis Rahman, last week shared his research findings on AI with a group of visiting ASEAN journalists, at a time when AI is playing a growing role in media platforms worldwide.
Although AI can make an impressive summary of a report, in many cases it does not match what humans actually want or intended, Dr Rahman said.    
“There are so many unknowns at this point. For instance, newspapers have been suffering but magazines continue to survive when readers prefer to pick up short-form articles, and most of the time comes with AI assistance,” he said.
Dr Anis also said that the writing generated by AI is not as good as that done by humans.
“I’m sure AI has done a great and quicker piece of work but it still struggles because there’s been a human element still. Often, the reporter writes a better article since they talked to people, and can feel, smell and hear the sound,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that AI is useful when it comes to weather forecasts, sports scores, writing reports on financial markets, and other info that involves graphics.
Dr Rahman’s research interests encompass media and platform ownership and their implications for journalism and the public interest, particularly in the Global South.
His current research projects include digital authoritarianism and its resistance, public internet and AI, media and geopolitics, as well as platform regulation in South Asia.

By Bounfaeng Phaymanivong
 (Latest Update November 4, 2024)