Constructing the Agenda: Public Service AI in News and Media Production
Ewa Luger, Bronwyn Jones1st November 2021 – 31 January 2022
AI and data-driven systems are totally shaking up the way news and media are made and consumed, and that’s having some major effects on how we all communicate and how democratic societies work. Public service media (PSM) is like the backbone of information infrastructure, but they’re facing a real challenge in keeping up with technology while staying responsible and true to their values. We urgently need to deal with the practical and conceptual hurdles that are holding back progress and adoption in the industry. We ask: what kinds of systems might be used and what is stopping AI being embedded in PSM? Application to date has been limited and there is some resistance – why? Is it cost, capacity, trust? Do core PSM values misalign to values that inform the development of AI systems? Responding to these challenges requires meaningful collaboration across disciplines, conceptual risk-taking, and internal/external partnership building.