Artificial Intelligence and Practicing Ethical Journalism

Artificial Intelligence is intelligence that imitates human behavior. AI can sometimes be seen as the opposite of natural intelligence, but it can be used as an agent in journalism. According to Owsley (2022), AI as an agent is an "intelligent machine capable of imitating human journalistic intelligence, values, thinking and behavior" that does not require human involvement after initial programming (Owsley, 2022, p. 14).

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Ethics of Semi-Autonomous and Autonomous Intelligent Agents

The conceptualization of AI as an agent intersects with ethical concerns in the media. The pursuit of the level three "Autonomous Intelligent Agent" status, where AI writes news content with no human involvement, raises ethical concerns. On the other hand, the level two "Semi-Autonomous Intelligent Agent" performs alongside human agents to produce news content for an audience (Owsley, 2022).

While Artificial Super Intelligence is still only theoretical, this autonomous system would possess self-awareness or human-like abilities, which raises concerns about boundaries of ethical responsibility in relation to AI (Owsley, 2022). Furthermore, according to Kaplan & Haenlein (2019), this system would be capable of outperforming humans in all areas. If this were to be true, it could replace the need for journalists in the job market.

According to Cañas (2022), by using the term “intelligence,” AI systems are agents that should collaborate with human intelligence in performing a task. Furthermore, a collaborative approach would mean that responsibility for information provided by an AI agent and a human is shared (Cañas, 2022). According to the PRSA Ethical Use of AI, public relations professionals are responsible for making ethical decisions, not the AI platform (Dvorak et al., 2023). This further highlights the need for human involvement and judgment alongside the AI agent.

AI vs. Human Cognitive Ability

Generative AI produces information based on algorithmic patterns and datasets, as well as information found online (Dvorak et al., 2023). The reliance of AI on human-generated content found online, in particular, can lead to a spread of misinformation. In journalism and mass communication, it is necessary for human practitioners to maintain due diligence in fact-checking AI-generated data and ensuring that the AI does not violate intellectual property rights (Dvorak et al., 2023).

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Although designers of the Autonomous Intelligent Agents aim to achieve the highest fidelity in AI, scholars are concerned if programming values and ideologies of journalism into an algorithm is the same as human morals and values (Owsley, 2022). Generative AI systems lack experiential cognitive ability, human understanding and judgment. To remain ethical and abide by the foundation of truth and verification of journalism, AI must work alongside humans in a Semi-Autonomous system.

References

Cañas, J. J. (2022). AI and Ethics When Human Beings Collaborate With AI Agents. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.836650

Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2019). Siri, Siri, in my hand: Who’s the fairest in the land? On the interpretations, illustrations, and implications of artificial intelligence. Business Horizons, 62(1), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.08.004

Owsley, C. S. (2022). Artificial Intelligence as Agent in Journalism: A Concept Explication. University of Missouri. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/commfacpub/110/

Dvorak, M. E., Ewing, M. E., Hall, H. K., Hoeft, J. R., Myers, C. & Staley, L. (2023, November). The Ethical Use of AI for Public Relations Practitioners. PRSA. https://www.prsa.org/docs/default-source/about/ethics/ethicaluseofai.pdf