AI Should Assist, Not Replace Journalism, Experts Urge At 8th Ngozi Agbo Memorial Lecture

By Akinteye Ayodunni

Speakers at the 8th Ngozi Agbo Memorial Lecture organised by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Press Club have admonished aspiring journalists to use artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool to assist journalistic work, not replace essential journalistic skills such as news writing and reporting.

The lecture, themed ‘AI In Journalism: The Future of News Generation, Reporting, and Storytelling’, took place at the Julius Berger Auditorium of the University of Lagos on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

At the event, practicing journalists and academic experts shared insights with students on the growing influence of AI in journalism.

Ms. Catherine Adeniyi, who represented Africa Check’s Nigeria Editor, David Ajikobi, was the keynote speaker at the event. She emphasized that AI can assist, but not replace human journalists in the battle against misinformation.

“AI is a tool to assist, not replace human journalists,” she said. Drawing on an example in her area of expertise, she said that while AI can facilitate the scouring of the internet for fact-checkable claims, it does not always have the contextual knowledge to ensure that such claims are worthy of fact-checking.

In a question-and-answer session that followed, panelists highlighted the importance of human expertise and judgment in investigative journalism. One panelist, Mr. Ayo Olufolarin, stated that “Investigative journalism requires human expertise and judgment, and AI cannot replace that.”

Speaking on the need for balance between technology and human skills in journalism, Mr Julius Abiodun, who represented the Head of the UNILAG Mass Communication Department, Prof Sunday Oloruntola, remarked: “We must find a balance between technology and human skills to shape the future of journalism.”

Mr Tosin Adesile, inaugural president of UNILAG Press Club and practicing journalist, noted that students have to continuously apply themselves to the habit of writing to acquire the distinctive quality of human writing called style, which beats machine-like AI writing.

The panelists urged journalists to maintain ethical standards while adopting AI tools.

In an interview with the president of UNILAG Press Club, Muyiwa Adekojede, he stated that the event was organised to honour the memory of Ngozi Agbo, a renowned pioneer of campus journalism efforts in Nigeria.

On the purpose of the lecture, he said: “Most of those who are making use of Ai in writing in journalism don’t really have the necessary knowledge or ethics that’s needed. With the panel session, I believe they were able to learn on the uses of AI.”

Also at the event, winners of the second Tosin Adesile Essay Competition were announced. Oladeji Feranmi emerged winner, taking home a cash prize of N50,000. Ogundele Oluwatosin came 2nd, winning thirty thousand naira; and third prize winner, Iwebami Chimsunum, won a sum of N20,000.