Susan Comrie
amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
Luke Feltham
editor-in-chief Mail & Guardian
Noreen Gillespie
journalism director Microsoft
Heba Kandil
head of media initiatives Thomson Reuters Foundation
Vivian Schiller
VP and executive director Aspen Digital
Since generative AI became mainstream nearly three years ago, newsrooms across the globe have been engaging with the technology in different ways – from those rapidly integrating AI, to others cautiously testing it. Yet the majority of organisations remain on the sidelines.
But can an industry, grappling with continued digital disruption, changes in audience consumption habits, failing business models and, most recently, the financial fallout from the shakeup in foreign aid, afford to pass up on AI’s opportunities? What is preventing journalists from integrating AI into their operations and content creation? What is making their newsrooms ‘AI unready’? And what can be done to close the adoption gap?
This panel will examine the barriers to AI uptake, with a focus on small to mid-size newsrooms in Global Majority countries. Speakers will explore financial and tech restraints, organisational culture blocks and leadership concerns around AI bias, digital divides, as well as a lack of tailored tools and approaches.
We will hear directly from newsrooms embarking on their AI adoption journey and explore what support is needed to ensure that more independent media outlets can effectively integrate AI while upholding journalistic values and maintaining focus on core operations and audience service.
By addressing these critical issues, this panel aims to provide practical insights into effective AI adoption journeys so that more newsrooms can confidently take the leap and leverage the technology for their critical organisational needs, ensuring no one is left behind.
Moderated by Vivian Schiller.
Sponsored by Microsoft.