Europe House hosts discussion on the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms and media ethics
Europe House organised the event “Journalism and Technology: How is AI changing newsrooms?”, bringing together journalists, media professionals, students and experts to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming modern journalism through an interactive workshop for young professionals and a panel discussion exploring the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence presents for newsrooms.
“AI is influencing how news is gathered, produced, distributed and consumed. It offers opportunities to help with data analysis, translation, and information processing which can save valuable time. However, at the same time, it raises serious concerns about accuracy and accountability. With an oversaturated media environment marked by emotive, attention grabbing and often low-quality content, the environment for well-researched and thought-provoking journalism is becoming ever more difficult. The European Union has a clear objective - innovation must go hand in hand with trust. Our policies and regulations aim to ensure that development and use of AI supports fundamental rights, democratic values and is trustworthy. The EU will continue to work with media professionals to ensure that AI strengthens, and not undermines the role of journalism in our democracies,” said Ferdinand Koenig, Head of Communications and Spokesperson of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The interactive workshop provided hands-on training for students of journalism and young professionals, led by Ivan Fischer, a Croatian journalist and editor specialised in artificial intelligence and media practice. Participants explored how AI can support everyday newsroom tasks such as research, idea generation, drafting and editing, visual and social media content, audio and video scripting, translation and audience-focused content creation. The session also addressed key professional standards, including accuracy, transparency, ethics, privacy, copyright and editorial responsibility.
“AI cannot - and must never - replace human journalists. Only humans can provide human perspective, offer human understanding, and only humans can ultimately be praised or be held accountable for their words. But that does not mean there is no place for AI in journalism. AI can be a great assistant, a great intern and a useful tool to help journalists focus on the most difficult and most rewarding parts of their work, as long as we are educated on its capabilities and its limitations. We can use AI - we should use AI - but we should never forget or neglect the core journalism skills - reporting, investigating, interviewing, fact-checking. When we stop using our skills - when we turn them over to AI - we are no longer as good at them. We must never let AI think for us, or we will soon forget how to think,” highlighted Ivan Fischer.
The full day media-focused event also included a panel discussion on how AI is affecting the production, verification and distribution of information. Participants discussed how new technologies offer opportunities for more efficient workflows, multilingual publishing and innovative storytelling formats, while also raising important questions related to accountability, bias, copyright and disinformation. The discussion highlighted how newsrooms are adapting to these developments and emphasised the importance of using artificial intelligence responsibly while safeguarding fundamental values such as freedom of expression, media independence and democratic accountability.