Journs told to be ready, AI to be ‘third era’ after social media
KUCHING: Artificial intelligence (AI) will one day replace print and social media to become the future of news, predicts Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said with technology now enabling a car to run without the need of a driver, there would come a time when news and stories are written without human thought required.
“I have a strong feeling that artificial intelligence will be the ‘third era’ after social media.
“I foresee that this will happen and when it happens, it will mean the business profile in terms of news dissemination will also change,” he said at the official launch of Zamalah Wartawan Malaysia here yesterday, organised by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI).
Abang Johari said AI is already widely used and media practitioners, especially the younger ones, must prepare themselves for the next era or risk being left behind.
He noted that even views or opinions can sometimes be expressed through AI – be it positive or negative – depending on who creates the software.
“This, I believe, will happen and it will certainly influence the social and political dimension as well as the community.
“Because of that, what will happen to the role of journalists if there is a robotic operation? Journalists, whether they want to or not, have to adopt an approach where they have to interface with the new technology.”
Abang Johari, however, believed that journalists would still be important because AI, since it is essentially a machine, is based on precision.
He said for now, the ‘ brain’ of the machine is undergoing higher development and because of that, this technology would become a big challenge for everyone and eventually, would be the news mode of the future.
The development of media, he said, would certainly change according to time because AI would eventually determine content or concept.
He also expected new journalists to be those who are highly knowledgeable in terms of technology and thought direction.
“It will no longer journalists who only report, but those who express views which must be based on facts,” he said.
One example of AI already in action could be seen in programmatic media-buying using a demand- side platform ( DSP) such as Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager.
The programmatic buying platform incorporates a variety of AI features, including automated targeting using real-time bidding models, a simplified buying process, automated budget pacing, and real-time reporting and optimisation toward the key performance indicator a campaign manager selects.
AI can also be used in serving dynamic creative, as algorithms begin to learn which audiences respond to various creative versions or featured products.
MPI chief executive Datuk Dr Chamil Wariya and Sarawak Information Department director Abang Sardon Abang Hashim were among those present during the ceremony.