Artificial intelligence and media content creation amongst media professionals in Nigeria: Benefits and challenges
Keywords:
Artificial intelligence, Media profession, Content creationAbstract
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has become a notable phenomenon in today's society, particularly with its widespread use by media professionals for content creation. This has sparked debate among media and communication scholars regarding whether AI is beneficial or detrimental to the media profession. This paper presents a conceptual review of AI in the media field, exploring both its benefits and challenges. The paper was grounded on proposition of Technology Determinism theory. Therefore, the paper argued that while AI tools bring advantages and drawbacks, their impact on the media profession is undeniable. AI has significantly reshaped the structure and processes involved in media work, particularly in content creation. On the positive side, AI helps media professionals meet tight deadlines and generate novel perspectives on media content, thereby accelerating the production of detailed material for mass audiences. However, AI's integration into the industry is also displacing human workers and raising ethical concerns. Overreliance on AI tools can hinder the critical thinking and creativity of media professionals who depend on these technologies to "think" for them. As a result, much of today's media content are produced by artificial systems rather than human creativity. Therefore, the paper recommends that media professionals should establish guidelines to mitigate algorithmic bias and ensure AI-generated content aligns with ethical standards of fairness and diversity. Also, there should be strict data protection policies and regular audits to enforce protection of audience data when using AI for content personalization. In addition, media professionals should be used as a tool to augment, not to replace human creativity.
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