January:
Gentzkow, M. (2018). Media and Artificial Intelligence. Working paper. https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/ai_and_media.pdf
This paper by Matthew Gentzkow has been picked for the overall big-picture-providing quality it possesses when it comes to the field of artificial intelligence in media spaces. It will serve as laying the foundation for the rest of the course to be built on. While it may not be all-encompassing in its nature, it picks on some very basic yet foundational ideas that I would want the cohort to engage with right at the beginning of the course. The point that completely drew me in was the paper’s emphasis on the “demand” side of artificial intelligence in media, rather than the usual “supply” role (of the producer/writer/creator of content) that we attribute to artificial intelligence tools. In practice, this would mean a greater appreciation of the role of AI in improving the match-making between media content and its consumers. It is a marriage that is influenced by a host of factors, including individual preferences, societal pressures, and, often, even third party manipulation. It is in this context that AI is discussed, with both its pitfalls and reliability, within the media space. There is immense scope for its effective deployment, but without the necessary safeguards in place, it would not take very long before it becomes the most efficient vehicle of manipulation.
February:
Pierson, J., Kerr, A., Robinson, S. C., Fanni, R., Steinkogler, V. E., Milan, S., & Zampedri, G. (2023). Governing artificial intelligence in the media and communications sector. Internet policy review, 12(1).
https://policyreview.info/pdf/policyreview-2023-1-1683.pdf
I have picked this paper for the second month because after the ground has been laid in the previous month, and the cohort is able to appreciate the inevitable frontal role that artificial intelligence is going to play in the media industry in the future, the discussion should move towards looking at effective regulatory models for artificial intelligence in the media and communication space. This paper would do a great job of moving the cohort towards that because it not only presents us with a potential model to emulate in the rest of the world (the paper is Europe specific), but before that, it also highlights some of the glaring loopholes in European legislation on the subject. While Indian legislation on AI in media is not specifically spelt out, the AI regulation framework that the Union Government is in the middle of drafting – it is slated to release in July 2024 – could perhaps benefit from policymakers, and the general public at large, being aware of the mistakes regulatory mechanisms in other countries committed, and learn from them.
March:
Video: How are Newsrooms using generative AI for journalism? – Centre for Cooperative Media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZdUYZaFBrQ
Even as we debate on the form and extent of the incorporation of artificial intelligence into the field of media, and discuss the most effective regulatory mechanisms governing it, whether we like it or not, AI has already entered the modern-day newsroom. To shed light on how the media industry, particularly the news industry, is utilising the services of AI, I have included this video produced by the Centre for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, USA. Through one of its programs, the NJ News Commons, the Centre coordinates statewide and regional reporters, connecting over 280 news and information providers. Thus, with a reasonably large base, I believe that their insights on how AI is being used by newsrooms would be able to give us a good picture of how things are in the industry. One aspect of this video that particularly struck me is how AI is being used by news agencies to address the issue of burnout in journalism and to decrease the cognitive workload on journalists. I think this would especially allow the cohort to appreciate some of the often overlooked aspects of journalism, and the media industry in general, and understand how AI could be deployed to overcome them.
April:
Press Release by Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, on National Press Day 2023: Media in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, an event organised by the Press Council of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1977454
Even though India does not have a specific policy on artificial intelligence in the media industry, or even on artificial intelligence as a whole yet, the National Press Day 2023 event organised by the Press Council of India threw up some rather telling observations, which possibly reveal the lines along which the Union Government of India’s AI regulation framework will be drafted on. The usual political statements aside, the event, organised under the theme of Media in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, which saw the participation of the Vice-President of India as Chief Guest apart from other dignitaries, essentially became a platform for the men and women in the highest decision making bodies on the subject in the country to gather in one place and offer us a peek into the thought process of those in the higher echelons of power. Thus, this press release may prove to be an invaluable insight into the government’s AI regulation drafting process, which the public does not have access to right now, and may not have until the time it is out in July 2024. The press release could also serve as the base for an in-class debate on future AI regulation frameworks in India, or what one would do if one were in a position to legislate for the whole country, in a Model United Nations (MUN) like simulation debate. This debate would be the perfect way to wrap up the course.
References
- Gentzkow, M. (2018). Media and Artificial Intelligence. Working paper. https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/ai_and_media.pdf
- Pierson, J., Kerr, A., Robinson, S. C., Fanni, R., Steinkogler, V. E., Milan, S., & Zampedri, G. (2023). Governing artificial intelligence in the media and communications sector. Internet policy review, 12(1). https://policyreview.info/pdf/policyreview-2023-1-1683.pdf
- YouTube Video: How are Newsrooms using generative AI for journalism? – Centre for Cooperative Media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZdUYZaFBrQ
- https://centerforcooperativemedia.org/
- Press Release by Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, on National Press Day 2023: Media in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, an event organised by the Press Council of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1977454
- Gayathri Haridas, Sonia Kim Sohee, & Atharva Brahmecha. (2023). The Key Policy Frameworks Governing AI in India. Access Partnership. https://accesspartnership.com/the-key-policy-frameworks-governing-ai-in-india/
- https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/govt-working-on-ai-regulation-framework-will-be-released-by-july-2024-says-it-minister-rajeev-chandrasekhar-2504619-2024-02-20
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