(Fonte: europeanjournalists.org) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) publishes its position paper on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of journalism in Europe, after it was adopted by the EFJ Steering Committee in Brussels, on 30 September.
The spread of AI profoundly affects reporting practices that had been used in newsrooms until now. AI is able to assist journalists’ work in helping with translation and fact-checking – which is an important tool for oversight of AI. But it can also be used maliciously to generate misinformation, or give preference to a small number of media sources in its training and output, thus harming media pluralism and information integrity. AI in journalism must be used with a human-based approach to ensure that AI systems do not replace human oversight. EFJ advocates for a future in which AI respects journalism ethical standards, fair working conditions and the protection of authors’ rights.
EFJ stresses six main points emphasising the importance of an ethical use of AI:
- Human editorial control remains crucial. Media employers and workers must define under which conditions AI is used in reporting and prohibit AI from generating content without human review.
- Journalists’ work must be protected. Journalists must give their express consent for their work to be used to train AI systems, must be credited, and receive proportionate remuneration.
- Transparency is non-negotiable for audiences and journalists alike. AI-generated content must be labelled to be clearly identified.
- Equal access and continued training for all journalists. Investments in AI tools for newsrooms should benefit all journalists, including local, and freelance.
- Ethics must shape the use of AI in news. The use of AI in newsrooms must comply with the core journalistic principles, such as truth, impartiality, accountability, and the protection of sources.
- Journalists’ organisations must help govern the future of AI. Through social dialogue, journalists’ organisations must remain active participants in the development of AI systems affecting public interest reporting.
“Today we stand at a crossroads: AI can either empower journalists or erode the very foundations of press freedom. To achieve this, we need AI built on strong ethical frameworks, guided by clear regulation, and committed to transparency across European media. Left unchecked, the damage to journalism could be irreversible. This is not a battle against AI, but a fight for ethical journalism,” EFJ President Maja Sever.