City Research Online

Abstract

Arab newsrooms and journalists are still attempting to process how to benefit from using artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily news production. Many have started experimenting with generative AI. However, in countries with strong economies, or in newsrooms funded by strong economies like in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, news organizations have endorsed AI technologies beyond ChatGPT and similar tools. The majority of Arab journalists, however, are yet to understand what is meant by AI. Very few news organizations in the region have strategically approached the question of AI. Arab newsrooms need to examine when and why they need to use AI technologies, whether they have the infrastructure or can afford the resources. Implementing AI in Arab newsrooms presents an additional set of challenges, including language complexities, cultural sensitivities, potential biases in algorithms, and the need for tailored solutions that resonate with local audiences. The ethical implications present its own set of challenges. ChatGPT has proven to generate inaccurate data in Arabic. Resources are to be put in place to ensure the model is trained on a diverse and comprehensive dataset of Arabic text. Implementing bias detection and mitigation techniques to ensure the models are free from biases and offensive content is crucial. Newsrooms operating in authoritarian regimes have to be aware of governments' attempts to use generative AI to whitewash and promote state-centered actions and policies. Maintaining editorial integrity remains an important consideration.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Publisher Keywords:	AI technologies, generative AI, Arab newsrooms, large data models, Global South, Arab media
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity School of Communication & Creativity > Journalism
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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