LArtificial intelligence (AI) is poised to radically transform the world of journalism and information. How can editorial independence be ensured if opaque language models governed by private interests are used by newsrooms? How can we guarantee the integrity of information when the majority of web content will be generated by AI? How can we prevent the fragmentation of the information space into a multitude of flows powered by conversational robots?
It would be risky to anticipate all the consequences of AI in the media. But one thing is certain: innovation does not lead to progress in itself. It must be accompanied by appropriate regulations and ethical safeguards to benefit humanity. The history of technology, from the ban on human cloning to nuclear non-proliferation treaties and the health control of medicines, offers a plethora of examples where technological development has been interrupted, supervised or guided in the name of ethics. Likewise, innovation in journalism must obey clear ethical rules.
In the summer of 2023, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) brought together an international commission to define what would become the first global ethical reference to guide the media in the age of AI. Its composition: thirty-two leading figures from twenty different countries, specialists in journalism or AI.
To chair it, none other than Maria Ressa, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, who embodies both the issues of press freedom and commitment to technological upheaval (she denounced, from the platform in Oslo, the “ invisible atomic bomb » digital).
An unprecedented alliance
A clear objective: determine a set of fundamental ethical principles to protect the integrity of information in the age of AI. Five months of meetings, 700 comments, an international consultation: the work highlighted convergences of views, and also drew fault lines. It is not easy to bring together perspectives as different as those of journalism defense NGOs, media representative organizations for the press and television as well as investigative journalism consortia. Without forgetting the European Federation of Journalists. It’s an unprecedented alliance that has come together around a digital table.
In response to the upheavals caused by AI in the information space, the charter published in Paris in November 2023 sets out ten principles for ensuring information integrity and preserve the social function of journalism (more than fifty years after the Munich Charter on the duties and rights of journalists). It is essential that the international community cooperate to ensure that AI systems preserve human rights and democracy, but this does not exempt journalism from special ethical and professional responsibility towards these technologies.
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