By Michael Dibie
New digital technologies are essential to raising living standards and countering the declining labour productivity growth in many countries, According to the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD, Alistair Nolan, rapid population ageing the dependency ratio in the OECD is set to double over the next 35 years, hence making raising labour productivity more urgent.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines artificial intelligence (AI) as “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence”.
In a bid to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from the continuous influx of AI technologies in the media landscape, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) will hold its inaugural Journalism, and AI Conference. The event which is scheduled to take place at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, on May 27th,-28th 2024, will bring together media think tanks, journalists, tech experts, and other stakeholders. The conference will host engaging panel discussions, in-depth case studies, and interactive sessions, where delegates will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices, and produce innovative solutions.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development through its Factchecking, Verification and Media Literacy platform, DUBAWA, will also launch two Artificial Intelligence tools to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of fact-checking processes in Africa. The launch is coming at a time when bad actors are leveraging tech innovations around the world to improve their skills and strategies, the DUBAWA Audio Platform and Chatbot represent a significant contribution to the fight against disinformation.
Commenting on the conference, and the launch of the AI tools, Director of Programmes at the CJID, Akintunde Babatunde, said, the media industry faces unique challenges in adapting to digital disruption while maintaining audience relevance and revenue sustainability.
“As stakeholders navigate this complex landscape, there is a critical need to explore the implications of digital technology and AI on media practices, foster collaboration among industry players, and identify strategies for harnessing these technologies to drive innovation and resilience. It is because of this that the CJID is convening stakeholders from across the media industry, technology sector, civil society, and television industry leaders to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by this convergence” he added.
According to CJID, as false information continues to increase across media platforms, the need for robust fact-checking tools has never been greater. DUBAWA’s new offerings promise to empower journalists, researchers, and the general public in their quest for reliable information.
DUBAWA Audio is an AI-powered tool deployed to facilitate the claim-sourcing aspect of the fact-checking process. As such, this tool was carefully designed to automatically listen to radio programmes, transcribe them and extract verifiable claims, saving Journalists, researchers, fact-checkers and other users valuable time.
Complementing the audio tool is the DUBAWA Chatbot, which was built to provide answers to everyday questions regarding viral misinformation and disinformation in the information ecosystem. It is useful in reducing the spread of harmful and misleading content online, providing results and references on a range of topics from credible sources.
Also speaking on the innovative tools, CJID’s Innovation Lead, Monsur Hussain, highlighted that due to the transient nature of the radio, it is difficult to fight misinformation spread by bad actors, hence developing a tool for journalists to stay on top of misleading claims being propagated to millions of people daily.
“Also, detecting and taking action against disinformation channelled through social messaging apps presents significant challenges. By making this chatbot available to users via a WhatsApp chat, we aim to fight misinformation spread on the platform”.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is a West African media innovation and development think-tank. Founded in 2014 as a non-governmental organisation in Nigeria, the Centre has been a leader in investigative journalism, innovation, open data, verification, promotion of the welfare and safety of journalists, elections, and the freedom of information and expression.
