AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PAKISTANI MEDIA LANDSCAPE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently become increasingly widespread in mass media and news agency newsrooms. The Pakistani media landscape is changing with the emergence of AI. The adverse effects on journalism, specifically on standards of quality and ethical ideals, are a subject of concern in the age of AI. The study presents the utilisation of Artificial Intelligence in journalism, including content used for print or electronic media. The study is qualitative and uses a phenomenological approach for data analysis. The participants included journalists, media professionals, academics, media industry specialists, and technology providers at the forefront of AI research. Semi-structured interviews were taken for the study N=15 participants based on the criterion sample. The study used thematic analysis by Braun & Clark's (2006) method of data analysis. The findings suggest that using AI has become integral to media sciences. The study results show that AI will simplify journalists' jobs by reducing wasted time and making news production procedures more efficient. This, in turn, will increase productivity in the mass media industry. Nevertheless, sufficient resources and training are required for AI usage. There has to be more opportunity for new viewpoints in the media, and training on using these technologies should be a top priority because of the seeming lack of competence. The emergence of ethical considerations highlights the need for continuous control and supervision of AI operations.