Balancing Innovation and Ethics: Thomson's AI in Media Masterclass in Prague

Thomson's Executive Learning Series wrapped up its 2024 calendar with a landmark event in Prague. The AI in Media masterclass brought together 24 media leaders from across Europe, offering them a unique opportunity to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming the newsroom landscape.

Designed for current and aspiring media executives, the programme spotlighted AI-driven innovations implemented by leading international newsrooms. The aim: to empower participants as change-makers in their organisations, ensuring they have the tools to navigate rapid technological shifts.

Insights from Industry Experts David Caswell, the founder of StoryFlow Ltd. and a trailblazer in news product innovation at the BBC, Tribune Publishing, and Yahoo!, opened the masterclass with a deep dive into AI's applications in journalism. He underscored the importance of understanding the context of AI models, tools, and applications, stressing that theoretical knowledge must be coupled with real-world implementation.

I think the future is determined not only by what the news industry and publishers do, but by what external players do, and thats not just the tech companies or the platforms, although its definitely them, but I think theres a lot of startups that are now starting to do things in the kind of news or news-adjacent space, he said.

The insights continued with Phoebe Connelly, senior editor for AI and innovation at The Washington Post. Her session explored how AI can streamline news production, from reporting to delivery, while addressing its challenges.

AI can be a very powerful tool for speeding the process of how we can report and deliver the news, and no matter what the age or demographic says of an audience, they want to know now whats happening, she said.

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Ethical Considerations in AI Day two saw Liz Lohn from the Financial Times tackle the ethical considerations surrounding AI use in media. She urged participants to consider trust and accountability when integrating AI into their workflows.

I think people can think about AI either as electricity or an atomic bomb. I kind of prefer to think about it as electricity, it can be everywhere enabling things, she said But because of how much agency it can have in itself and make its own decisions, I think it may actually be more on the side of atomic bombs, and people are not quite ready to accept those threats and just mitigate them constructively.

Theory and strategies The senior media leaders attending the masterclass praised it for offering a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and practical strategies.

What is great about this programme is that it is a really practical learning experience, said Patryk Stanik, Head of Digital Expansion at Tygodnik Powszechny. We get strategic solutions we can implement into the workflows of our company.

The masterclass also reinforced the importance of preserving journalism's principles in the age of technological change.

This masterclass was very transformative. Now I have the information on AI and I am happy to share it with my colleagues too, said Muhamet Hajrullahu, Editor-in-Chief at Telegrafi in Kosovo. Without AI, there is not a way you can be part of digital and transformative media in the region and everywhere in the world.

Resilient Media Ecosystem Reflecting on the event, Asya Metodieva, Media Support Coordinator at Thomson Foundation, emphasised its impact on media sustainability in the region.

Our main goal is to create agents of change across the region, a network of professionals who are able to create change in their media outlets, she said. We aim to inspire strategic solutions, solutions that can be applied to mid-sized and small-sized organisations and help this media, especially those who are under threat in countries like Hungary or Slovakia, survive and have long-term business models.

About the Executive Learning Series Thomson's Executive Learning Series offers innovative and practical learning experiences that shape critical skills for strategy-driven media professionals in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Western Balkans (WB). Tailored to encourage an out-of-the-box mindset in the media industry, the programme equips participants with the knowledge and tools to implement strategic solutions, fostering growth and sustainability within their organisations.

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