AI and Journalism: Exploring Ethics, Transparency and Self-Regulation among Pakistani TV Journalists

Abstract

Aim of the Study: Newsrooms are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) for their news operations in the evolving journalistic landscape. The journalists have started realizing AI as a collaborative assistant that can facilitate them in effective execution of their professional tasks. Despite various prospects, adoption of AI may pose several challenges for the journalism professionals including that of ethical implications, transparency and self-regulation to ensure objectivity.

Methodology: Guided by the social responsibility theory, this research has analyzed integration of AI into newsroom operations with its implications for media ethics. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews of 13 journalists, dealing with the news operations at various levels in Pakistani TV News Organizations (Urdu/English Channels). While reaching the data saturation, the documented responses were thematically analyzed.

Findings: The findings of the research reveal that Pakistani TV journalists face ethical challenges related to information bias, public opinion influence, human judgement, professional autonomy, and lack of appropriate legal and global regulatory framework in the age of AI.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the journalists are aware of the challenges posed by AI technologies with the consideration for their cautious execution.