‘The upcoming shift may well spell the end of PSM as we know it. But it could also be the start of a new era in which PSM organizations are more than ever called upon to act as curators of shared experiences. In a decentralized networked society, trust and ethical data use will be the most precious currencies.’
Special notice goes to public service media organizations in a sweeping study about implications of AI in journalism by the EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION. The 146-page report concludes that, while only some areas in journalism will be automated, ‘virtually all jobs will undergo some degree of change. Newsroom staff will need a better grip on the technology’
PSMs can use AI resources to distinguish themselves better in the market ahead, the authors say. They see opportunities for increased efforts in the following:
- Relevance – using AI-aided data journalism to find public interest stories and then enabling better matching to individual interests using AI-aided personalization.
- Accountability – holding algorithms to account, treating them as a new kind of power. Understanding and interrogating how they work and are being used, especially in areas impacting personal outcomes and rights.
- Verification – mounting initiatives for ‘defending factuality and trust,’ particularly in the face of new threats such as deep fakes.
- Serving audiences – applying automated translation to reach audiences in other languages using natural language processing.
The report includes case studies of PSM and private-sector uses. It includes several explainers.
The narrative is in seven sections:
- It’s time to catch up
- AI is a handy new tool: use it!
- Don’t think you know the audience
- Content only has an impact when its found
- Find the new public service in an era of AI
- Imagine yourself in a better future
- Closing
REPORT AUTHORS
- Atte Jaaskelainen – Professor of Practice at LUT University, Finland and former Director of News and Current Affairs at YLE, Finland.
- Maike Olij – Journalism consultant and media innovator
SEE:
News Report 2019: The Next Newsroom
EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION | November 18, 2019