AI, no threat to journalists – Media consultant

Mr Juan Senor, the President of London-based Innovation Media Consulting Group, has urged journalists not to see Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a threat but as a great gain.
Senor said this at the 2024 Nigerian Media Leaders Summit on Monday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The summit, the second in the series, was organised by the Lagos-based Journalism Clinic, with the theme: “In Pursuit of Products, Profits and More.”

“AI will never find the news. News is what is new. AI will not replace our ability in news gathering,”  he said.
Senor, who joined the conference virtually, spoke on: “AI-First Media Newsroom: Utopia or Dystopia?”
He said: “AI has no conscience, human oversight is always required.
“As the machine comes on board, we discover our true value at original storytelling.”
He, however, said that AI could repurpose and background.
Senor said that AI had many gains, urging media houses to take advantage of it to advance their organisations.
“AI can reduce our cost base, it can generate revenue.
“Don’t fight AI. Understand it. We must get it right, it is a great opportunity.
“AI is about digital transformation. It is time for AI-powered companies,” he said.
Veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun, Chief Olusegun Osoba, at the occasion, described the activities of some bloggers as a huge pain and threat to journalism in Nigeria.
“They are a terrible pain. They are a terrible threat,” Osoba said.
He said that journalists must do more to counter the effects of fake news and disinformation pushed out by some bloggers, which he described as embarrassing.

“The way to confront them is for journalists to publish more factual copies,” he said.
He added that journalists must cross-check their facts and create more credible sources of news to be able to counter the activities of the bloggers.
“Go online and push out more credible information,” he said.
He advised media professionals to self-regulate themselves much more than the government’s regulation.
”I appeal that, for our survival, we should have more of this kind of summit to see what we can do for our self-regulation,” he said.
The Chairman of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Malam Kabir Yusuf, said that there had been changes in the Nigerian media practice.
Yusuf, however, said a lot of things remained unchanged.
He advised that the advent of the Internet and Artificial Intelligence should not make the media drop its roles.

According to him, reporting all sides of the story, educating the public by providing informed comments, and entertaining the audience remained the primary roles of the mass media.
He said that the mass media had left its entertainment role, urging media professionals to balance the serious and the light sides of stories to retain their audience.
“If we do these, with consistency and adaptation, we will be better.
“Consistency is to be at the level of your audience.
“Your audience must trust that what you are giving them is true, that you are not playing on their intelligence, that you are not protecting your friends and taking it out on your enemies. That is how to build trust.
“Consistency is difficult but very important, it creates a long-term bonding with your audience,” he said.
He advised media organisations to plan well to succeed.
“Companies that plan well are likely to succeed,” he added.
Mr Taiwo Obe, the Convener of the summit and Founder of Journalism Clinic urged media professionals to do their best to further develop the industry.
Obe advised journalists to cultivate and sustain relationships.
“Have networks,” he said.

Mr Kayode Oyekanmi, the Director of Strategy at the Lagos State Ministry of Information, described the summit as an opportunity to share ideas and explore innovative strategies needed to properly navigate Nigeria’s media landscape.
Oyekanmi said that the Lagos State Government was determined to support initiatives that would contribute meaningfully to the development of the media industry and the society at large.
The two-day summit, which is the second, was sponsored by the Lagos State Government and some others.