NAIROBI - A half-day training seminar on "The Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its Impact on Journalism" was held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday, organised by the Africa Regional Office of Xinhua News Agency.
The training, which was held in a hybrid format, was attended by nearly 100 participants, including editors and journalists from more than 10 media outlets in Kenya and across Africa.
Participants also learned about the process of implementing AI at Xinhua News Agency throughout the new production process, from news gathering to research and editing to dissemination.
In the virtual presentation Chen Yingying, associate professor at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication at the People's University of China, encouraged African media practitioners to embrace AI, highlighting its positive impacts and challenges.
Chen noted that while AI will not replace human journalists, the technology is largely ancillary and can be used to increase efficiency in news gathering, packaging and dissemination.
According to Chen, AI tools can be useful in transcription, data analysis and graphics development. Individual journalists should also raise their awareness of the risks posed by the technology, such as the spread of misinformation.
Rosalia Omungo, CEO of the Kenya Editors' Guild, a professional association of senior editors in the East African country, said the training workshop provided valuable insights on AI and its potential to transform the media industry in Africa.
"I think the introduction of AI has already started. This is the direction that Kenyan journalism should be going in because AI brings efficiencies, it improves existing systems, news production processes, news gathering and dissemination," Omungo said.
She added that China provides a model from which African newsrooms can learn and accelerate the adoption of AI, and stressed that ongoing training for journalists will help dispel myths around the technology.
Patrick Vidia, digital editor at Kenya's Standard Media Group, praised the training seminar as very beneficial in terms of better understanding AI and its use in journalistic work.
"We work a lot with AI in the digital area. This training comes at the right time because it opens up new perspectives on how to apply and use AI," Vidija added.
Xinhua
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