Artificial Intelligence and the Media : Experts Examine Advantages, Challenges

The Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, yesterday, March 4, 2024 in Yaounde opened the first-ever international summit on “Artificial Intelligence and African Media.” Organised by the African Union of Broadcasting and UNESCO, on the theme: “New frontiers of African media: Artificial Intelligence (AI),” the three-day summit, which is grouping participants from 42 countries is out to examine how well the Africa continent is prepared to face the new revolution (Artificial Intelligence). AI is the science of making machines, especially computer systems that can think like humans, process large amounts of data in ways unlike human.
Speaking in the presence of several members of government, and foreign personalities, amongst which the Gabonese Minister of Communication, Laurence Ndong, the Cameroon’s Minister of Communication noted that the advantages of AI are many as it diminishes human error since computers will be programmed properly to execute tasks, facilitate faster decision-making, lessen risk as the AI robots can take on risky tasks which, for humans, would be extremely hazardous. He, however lamented the upheavals in the media landscape and the society in general. Some of the cons with AI are the lack of creativity, ethical dilemmas, privacy and data security concerns. Whatever the situation, Rene Emmanuel Sadi said whether good or bad, AI is here to stay, already being a big part of the economy and daily life. Warning against the risks involved in its usage, Rene Emmanuel Sadi urged media practitioners to seize the opportunity given by the summit to equip themselves with digital skills, for an improvement in the country's media system would mean an improvement in society as a whole.
Taking to the rostrum, the Gabonese Minister of Communication, said the media need to seek ways while using AI to reduce the rate of disinformation. She underscored that, “The goal is not to check if the glass is half empty or half full, but to find ways of how to fill the glass alluding to the fact that Africans should not dwell on complaints but look for ways to ensure we are up to date with the world's changing times.” The Chief Executive Officer of the African Union of Broadcasting (AU...