“Issues such as the differences between narrow and general AI, data fundamentals, non-code tools for journalism, algorithms as amplifiers of social bias, and the distinctions between automation and AI are among the questions that need further consideration in journalism programs regarding AI.“
Leslie Salgado Arzuago
This paper presents a rare and useful examination of curriculum choices for AI in journalism. The author itemizes and compares offers by industry and universities, with five themes in common:
- AI history & architecture
- AI subfields
- Data fundamentals
- Ethics & societal impacts
- AI uses in the newsroom
Abstract
From a computer vision application to monitor election transparency in Argentina to automated real-state texts in Norway and everything in between, Artificial Intelligence-powered tools are changing journalism. Scholars have taken note, and the academic production of AI in journalism has gained considerable ground in the last five years. However, research on how journalism education deals with AI influence in the industry is scarce. Based on a self-training method using available online free courses for journalists and a review of university teaching initiatives, this article proposes key elements to trace teaching trajectories to introduce AI into the journalism curriculum. Included are recommendations for drawing a path to teaching journalism students to think critically about AI and, at the same time, to understand the available tools for reporting and investigating in a complex context where journalism lives in a profound state of crisis.
AUTHOR
Leslie Salgado Arzuago – Journalist, communication consultant, and PhD student at the University of Calgary.
From the classroom to the newsroom: A critical route to introduce AI in journalism education
FACTS & FICTION | Vol 2 Issue 1 | Fall 2022