Al Tompkins is one of America’s most requested journalism and multi-media instructors. Having made 50 years as a journalist, author and was The Poynter Institute’s senior faculty for broadcasting and online. Tompkins is the recipient of some of journalism’s highest awards including The National Emmy, the Japan Prize, The American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel, The Peabody, 7 National Headliner Awards, The Robert F Kennedy Award and The Iris Award. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and honored with The Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He spoke to Moses Havyarimana about the impact and possible disruptive challenges.
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
Which areas do you think might be disruptive for the media and especially for journalists? Thanks a lot for your kind response.
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
There are a few likely targets:
- Fake Images and Videos:
Obviously, the first disruption will be in fake images and videos that might confuse viewers as well as journalists. This is already happening, and it will become a bigger issue as AI improves. - AI-Generated Announcers for Radio:
A second disruption will be AI-generated announcers for radio stations. I think this could happen widely, as radio stations look for ways to cut costs. There are already some fully AI radio stations where the voice work is based on existing staff. - AI in Advertising:
AI will be useful for salespeople who will be able to generate commercials and even music beds for commercials quickly and at a low cost. But then, advertisers may bypass TV stations altogether and produce their own ads.
Analysis of Key Points:
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
Can you elaborate on the public’s perception of AI-generated media?
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
Certainly. The public is becoming more aware of how easy it is to create fake content, particularly fake photos and videos. This leads to increased skepticism, especially when the content does not align with their personal beliefs or political views. The public is faster to dismiss media that contradicts their perspective, which is a significant issue for trust in journalism. Moreover, AI is being used to raise false doubts about factual images, fueling disinformation and rumors. The potential to spread misinformation is a big challenge.
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
How can AI be useful to journalists?
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
AI has some positive applications in journalism. One key benefit is in data sorting—AI can help journalists analyze large databases, find trends, and uncover important details that would take much longer for humans to process. This can improve productivity. Some newsrooms are experimenting with AI to produce automated online newscasts, although the quality is not always high. For example, a newspaper in Hawaii has launched such a project, and while it’s still in its early stages, it shows potential for automating certain aspects of journalism.
However, there are also concerns about AI-driven websites that scrape content from other sources. These sites often lack original reporting and can diminish the role of investigative journalism.
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
What is your take on AI in broadcasting, specifically in TV anchoring?
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
There are a few countries experimenting with AI-generated TV anchors, but it’s not yet a widespread trend. The technology is still in its infancy. In the future, AI could replace human anchors, which may lead to job displacement and shifts in the media landscape. However, it’s still not a dominant trend. We also see AI being used in sports media. For example, ESPN has employed AI to write stories about lesser-covered sports, such as women’s teams. While AI can cover these gaps, it lacks the depth and nuance that human journalists can provide.
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
What areas of the media industry do you think could be most disrupted by AI?
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
There are several potential disruptions:
- Fake Media:
AI’s ability to create realistic fake photos, videos, and even audio will likely become a major disruption in the media industry. The ability to fabricate convincing content could exacerbate the already-growing problem of misinformation. The public will have a harder time distinguishing between what’s real and what’s fabricated. - AI in Radio:
A major disruption could come from AI-generated announcers in radio. As radio stations look to reduce costs, AI-generated voices may replace human announcers. In fact, there are already fully AI-powered radio stations that use voices based on real people. This could become a growing trend, especially for stations looking to cut costs. - AI in Advertising:
AI will revolutionize advertising, allowing advertisers to quickly generate commercials and even background music (music beds) for a low cost. This could lead to advertisers bypassing traditional TV and radio stations altogether and producing their own ads, which might diminish the role of traditional media outlets.
Q: Moses Havyarimana (Journalist):
What is your outlook on the future of AI in media?
A: AI Tompkins (Retired Journalism Professor):
While AI is still in its early stages in terms of disrupting journalism and media, I expect it will become both a disruptive and useful tool depending on how it is used. It hasn’t yet caused major disruptions, but AI could revolutionize media by helping with cost-cutting, automating content generation, and even addressing gaps in coverage. However, its role will also raise ethical concerns and issues around trust and accountability, particularly in journalism. The impact of AI will ultimately depend on how it is harnessed and whether users approach it responsibly.
Summary:
The conversation touches on the dual nature of AI in the media industry—its challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, AI’s ability to create fake content is a threat to public trust and journalistic integrity. On the other hand, AI can enhance productivity, automate tasks, and help journalists sort large datasets. However, AI’s increasing role in content creation, broadcasting, and advertising could lead to shifts in the industry, including job displacement and disruptions to traditional media organizations.
According to Al Tompkins the public does not understand AI, but is generally aware how easy it is to create fake content and so is faster to dismiss photos and videos that do not Favor their point of view.
“Candidates are also able to raise false doubts about factual images and spread rumours based on disinformation. But AI is also proving to be useful to some journalists who use it to sort big databases and understand complexities that might take hours or longer to Plow through otherwise. Some newsrooms, not a lot of them, are using AI to produce online newscasts. A newspaper in Hawaii recently launched such a project. It is not very good, but it is a start, based on real reporting.”
“There are a number of AI-based “news” websites that are just scrapers picking up news from other online sources with no human reporting. In all, I think there are about six countries where you can find AI television anchors. It is not a trend yet. ESPN, the sports channel, is using AI to write stories about what they call “under-covered” sports, usually women’s teams.”
“So, in summary, AI is not the disruption you might expect, yet. But it is early, and I suspect it will find ways to be both disruptive and useful, depending on the user.”