Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the digital world has experienced rapid growth and a wave of new technologies. Among these, artificial intelligence has been particularly transformative. ChatGPT and Google Bard (now known as Gemini) are natural language processing chatbots powered by generative AI technology that are revolutionizing the way humans with natural intelligence perform tasks and make decisions. brought.
But progress often faces resistance. As new technologies challenge current norms and conceptual systems, misunderstandings and opposition are inevitable and people are forced to adapt to new environments. The rise of AI is no exception. Even before its debut, AI already had problems with its apocalyptic image, and such scenarios help continue the conversation about the potential future pitfalls of unchecked development. , such concerns are far from reality. For now, existing AI systems perform well with large amounts of data within a narrow focus range. With such strict learning boundaries, unpredictable events can only cause the system to fail. Indeed, there is no clear path to how machines become sentient. Many doomsday scenarios require machines to exhibit some degree of self-awareness, which can be tied to a sense of self-preservation. Furthermore, increasing the chances of survival will require both programming and physical ability to respond to such feedback. Rather, the real dangers of AI today are societal, primarily privacy issues, attrition, overdependence, and fraud, all of which have a human element. Therefore, the potential problem posed by AI is the misuse of that technology by humans.
Therefore, despite these challenges, AI will continue to evolve. AI expert Andrew Ng calls AI “the new power.” Because just as electricity changed the world, no industry will be immune to the impact of AI in this century. And this seems to include the media industry as well.
Over the past year, Indian news agencies have garnered international attention for their widespread and rapid deployment of AI-powered newsbots. Notably, the multilingual AI news anchor she is Lisa on Odisha TV and Sana, who has appeared on a channel owned by India Today, has made great strides in the field of AI-driven news she presents. Masu.
Featuring traditional costumes and an indigenous look, Lisa aims to resonate with a wider Indian audience. However, critics have noted that her current speaking style lacks the desired fluidity, and is characterized by her slow, monotone tone and her lack of expressive gestures.
Sana, on the other hand, is fluent in English, Hindi and Bangla, catering to India's linguistic diversity and communicating fluently in over 75 languages. The introduction of such multilingual AI news anchors has the potential to improve news accessibility for a diverse population in a country with 22 official languages.
A crucial question arises whether Pakistan, which shares similarities with India in its media environment, will follow suit in hiring AI news presenters. Proponents emphasize the benefits of continuous availability and immunity to human limitations such as illness, fatigue, vacation, and aging. RoboNews presenters excel at consistently processing and disseminating vast amounts of information, especially during time-sensitive events such as elections or financial updates.
But supporters of AI technology stress that these virtual news journalists are not meant to replace human journalists. Limitations surface in the inability to provide nuanced analysis, critical assessments, or navigate complex field situations. Jobs that require insight, such as interviewing celebrities or moderating heated debates, remain within the realm of human journalists.
A practical approach suggests delegating routine newsdesk tasks such as weather forecasts, financial data, and sports results to AI news presenters. This gives human journalists the opportunity to pursue more creative endeavors. Efforts are underway to train these AI news anchors for television debates and real-time interactions with viewers, suggesting their capabilities may evolve.
Despite the undeniable benefits of introducing AI news presenters, challenges have arisen, including potential job losses and concerns about emotionless, monotonous reporting. Additionally, given the algorithm’s ability to control the flow of information by identifying and omitting certain content, there is also a risk that AI anchors could be exploited for misinformation and propaganda.
As the era of AI newsreaders evolves, India's Lisa joins newsreaders from various countries, requiring a forward-looking approach for Pakistan to remain competitive in the evolving media landscape. Balancing efficiency and ethical considerations is essential as we navigate this new frontier.
