Thai PBS World hosted a conference in Bangkok this week called AI and the Future of Newsrooms.

Speakers included the President of the Thailand Development Research Institute, Dr Somkiat Tangkitvanich, and the Thai PBS Director of Digital Media Kanokporn Prasitphon.

Fellow ABU members NHK, CGTN and KBS also made an important contribution with presentations from Takahiro Mochizuki, Senior Research Engineer at NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories, engineer Naoki Nakatani from the NHK Media Innovation Centre, senior CGTN reporter Yang Chengxi and Sungho Jeon, the Director of Terrestrial UHD systems at KBS.

Delegates heard how generative AI tools have made possible the automatic generation of subtitles, transcripts, translations, articles and scripts, text to speech voiceovers in multiple characters and languages and summary videos for social media, as well as video upscaling, sign language avatars and templates to optimise the use of space on vertical screens.

Discussion included the impact of AI on newsroom jobs and roles, the need for each organisation to have clear guidelines for staff on the appropriate use of AI, and the risk of disinformation, deep fakes or content “hallucinations”.

The ABU recently took part in a Reporters Without Borders initiative on a charter for the use of AI. The Paris Charter on AI and Journalism defines principles on AI that journalists and producers can apply to their work.