Media: Publisher president speaks of “AI tsunami” in media industry

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A year ago at the conference, the potential of ChatGPT was invoked, Masüger said on Wednesday at the publishers’ association’s Epiphany conference in Zurich. “Most of us still had to figure out exactly what that was.” This year’s conference is now entirely dedicated to this topic: “Twelve months later, the AI ​​tsunami has fully reached our industry.”

However, the findings of the Research Institute for Public and Society at the University of Zurich (Fög) may be hopeful, Masüger said. The population is therefore very skeptical about uncontrolled AI in journalism and recognizes the potential danger. This insight is accompanied by great confidence in serious journalism.

However, deep trust does not mean that AI is not used by the population, says Fög director Mark Eisenegger in an interview. When it comes to the specific use of AI in journalism, transparency is absolutely crucial, Eisenegger said. It must be clearly disclosed how and where exactly AI has been used. In this context, he also called for appropriate industry standards.

According to Masüger, the Swiss Media Association (VSM) also wants to benefit from the opportunities offered by the new technology. The association has set up a working group that focuses on current developments and supports members in the use of AI tools. Fög director Eisenegger also sees good opportunities for the media industry in the spread of AI. The media must position themselves in such a way that it is clear that people are working here and not machines.

In 2024, the VSM will celebrate its 125th anniversary. The Epiphany Conference is taking place for the 25th time. President Andrea Masüger took this opportunity to take a general look at the past and the future. This year too, the association wants to take the bull by the horns, he says. In addition to the commitment to financing new media and related copyright laws, there is a strong focus on promoting media literacy.

But it’s not just artificial intelligence that poses a potential threat to the industry. “The economic basis for journalism is thinner than ever before,” says VSM director Stefan Wabel.

Jon Pult, national councilor of the SP of Graubünden and media politician Jon Pult formulated several statements in his presentation under the title “Fourth estate in crisis. What should we do?” The most important: the media crisis is a crisis of the financing of journalism and not necessarily of the profitability of media companies. “This is a problem of public policy, not simply a problem of the market economy.”

Another theory concerns growing misinformation. The Federal Council – most recently Federal President Viola Amherd in the ‘NZZ’ – describes the disinformation of the population as a strategic threat. A healthy and diverse media system with strong journalism is therefore also “a matter of national security”.

While the association regularly advocates for the SRG to be tied down, Jon Pult took a stand for strong public service: “A battle between the SRG and the private media makes little sense from a media policy perspective.” There is no empirical evidence that weaker public broadcasters enable stronger private media. Studies from the Scandinavian countries show the opposite. Stronger cooperation is needed in the interests of the Swiss media center. (SDA)

Source:Blick