At the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting held recently in Davos, Switzerland, leaders from the media industry gathered to discuss the monumental impact artificial intelligence (AI) is having on journalism. This gathering not only highlighted the technological benefits but also raised considerable concerns about the future of the industry.
Daniel Roth, Editor-in-chief and Vice President at LinkedIn, opened the session by sharing his insights on the transformative potential of AI within the company's editorial operations. "AI has been great for our team. It’s the first technological revolution where the technology benefits people who don’t have tech expertise. Our LinkedIn Lists, which used to take 500 hours to vet, now take two hours with AI," Roth said. His acknowledgment of AI as both beneficial and potentially threatening reflected the dual-edged sword of technological advancement.
While Roth emphasized how AI has allowed his team to be more productive, he also provided cautionary words about its darker potential. "A machine can’t tell you what’s happening right now. It can guess, but it can’t verify," he stressed, underscoring the irreplaceable role of human expertise, particularly when it came to breaking news and opinion pieces.
Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-chief of The National, echoed Roth's sentiments, highlighting the efficiency gains offered by AI and the resulting organizational benefits. "Organising information is great because there’s so much out there we don’t have time to process," she explained, noting how AI tools like Otter have drastically reduced the time needed for transcriptions, saving "days of my life." But Al-Oraibi didn’t shy away from the challenges, warning of the perils posed by misinformation and deepfakes, especially during sensitive reporting periods such as the Gaza conflict.
She recounted instances of misinformation circulating online, stating, "There’s all sorts of audio clips...that people distribute," which complicate the already difficult task of accurate news dissemination. This pointed out the need for increasing media literacy as AI’s capabilities grow.
James Harding, Founder of Tortoise Media, provided additional insights, articulately expressing concerns about what he termed the ‘liar's dividend’—a troubling scenario where genuine behavior could be dismissed as manipulation through AI. “There are two really big worries...the nature of generative AI means there’s going to be more stuff than ever before,” he explained, referring to the substantial deluge of content AI can produce, making reliable information harder to find.
Harding cautioned, "At some point, it's going to be the case...small amount of the public's attention." This alarming prediction poses serious questions about the sustainability of advertising-based news media as more and more noise threatens to drown out trusted journalism.
Despite these challenges, there was also reassurance from Ben Smith, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Semafor, who highlighted the importance of human connection. "Readers want a connection to a human being whose expertise they understand and trust...that’s relatively defended from AI," he stated, pointing to the growing preference for individual voices over corporate institutions.
Al-Oraibi concurred, sharing how The National successfully cultivated trust through direct engagement with its audience, growing to 300,000 newsletter subscribers by building community connections. She reminisced about how their correspondent, during the Beirut port explosion, answered questions live on Facebook, fostering trust and transparency. "It’s all these incremental bits...that over time build a community," she asserted, emphasizing personal connection as key to earning credibility.
Overall, as the media grapples with the rapidly changing technological environment, the discussions at Davos illuminated both the promise and potential pitfalls of AI. The consensus among industry leaders indicates the necessity of prioritizing strong journalism and maintaining trust as they navigate this new frontier. With humanity at its core and the potential for technology to assist rather than replace, the future of journalism could still be bright—but only if it adheres to the values of trust, accuracy, and engagement.