Researching AI Management and Usage Policies in Philippine Newsrooms and Implications for Vietnam

Wednesday - 06/11/2024 20:29

On the morning of November 4, Professor Gary Mariano, former Dean of the School of Communication at De La Salle University, Philippines, delivered a presentation titled “AI Management and Usage Policies in Philippine Newsrooms and Implications for Vietnam” at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The seminar attracted many experts, journalists, media managers in Vietnam, and several faculty, students, and researchers from the Institute of Academy of Journalism and Communication.

In her remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (Academy of Journalism and Communication, AJC) highlighted that while AI usage in newsrooms is not a new thing, the specific AI applications, their uses, and the policies managing them to optimize journalistic workflows remain pressing issues for discussion. The seminar, offered an insider’s perspective on newsroom operations through Professor Mariano’s research findings.

Overview of the Seminar: “AI Management and Usage Policies in Philippine Newsrooms and Implications for Vietnam”

Professor Mariano began his talk with a question: "Are you afraid that AI might take over your job and leave you unemployed in the near future?" Many attendees, including faculty and students, raised their hands in agreement, reflecting widespread concern.

Professor Mariano then presented a historical perspective on editing and designing printed media, showcasing older tools like Aldus PageMaker and Notepad and comparing them to new AI tools like ChatGPT. This comparison demonstrated how AI applications have significantly increased speed and efficiency in editorial and design processes.
In the next part of his presentation, Professor Mariano outlined various AI applications in the Philippine media industry aimed at optimizing production activities, including data analysis, text editing, interviewing, fact-checking, and image creation. However, he also examined the risks associated with AI use in journalism, such as potential biases, inaccuracies stemming from AI's "confident hallucinations" and privacy issues related to user-provided data.
He continued by analyzing generative AI (GenAI) policies implemented in Philippine newsrooms and referenced UNESCO’s “Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” comparing it with the theoretical frameworks of Rogers (1962) and Cools & Diakopoulos (2023).
Professor Mariano’s presentation generated numerous questions from Vietnamese students, faculty, journalists, and media managers.

During the discussion session, M.A. Phan Thanh Thuy, Editor-in-Chief of VTC Now, shared insights into the real-world use of AI tools in her newsroom’s production processes. She also asked Professor Mariano for advice on addressing AI errors during media production.