RSF call upon media experts and civil society for help in drafting the AI Charter

Apart from establishing an international committee, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling media experts and civil society to express their views on the vast growth of AI use in the media. The deadline for submitting the form is 11 October 2023. RSF believes that these inputs could be of great importance to finish drafting its ‘Charter on AI in the media’.

The public, as well as media experts, are able to express their views on the same topics as the committee members. Those topics are information gathering, information processing, information dissemination, and the strategic positioning of the media vis-a-vis AI sector companies. 

Information gathering is related to the AI’s ability to produce content, be it in the form of a text or image. This creates concern as the RSF believes journalists must maintain their ability to process information quickly and differentiate authentic from inauthentic content. Concerns with information processing stem from biases used in training AI systems. Also, AI can change the meaning of the content when processing it, which directly opposes journalist ethics. It can optimise audience reach and promote sensationalism and raises the question of how we can ensure that AI produces quality content. 

AI creates problems with recommendation algorithms, influences visibility and search engines, and steers the public’s attention towards specific content. Therefore, the question the RSF needs to tackle is how to provide ways to ensure the right to reliable news and information. 

Finally, Big Tech companies both supply AI tools and stand as competitors in the news and media industry, prompting RSF to seek guidance on their strategic positioning in relation to these emerging players.