How AI is transforming newsrooms: From innovation to risk management
On Thursday, November 7, during the IQ Media Innovation Forum in Nice, co-funded by the European Union, a panel of experts gathered to discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern newsrooms. The central question was how media outlets can leverage AI to transform their operations while managing ethical and professional risks. The conversation highlighted the challenges, opportunities, and the evolving relationship between journalism and AI.
Why we’re talking about it
Artificial intelligence is redefining journalistic practices. While it offers solutions for increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving the quality of news, it also raises new concerns, particularly in terms of ethics, risk management and training for professionals. The debate around its role in newsrooms is more topical than ever, especially at a time when tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity are increasingly being used to produce content.
Speakers’ biographies 🗣️
– Arnaud Aubron: Director of Development at Le Monde and CEO of Le HuffPost
– Thomas Bidet: Chief Product Officer (CPO) of L’Équipe
– Florent Rimbert: Member of the Alliance of French General Information Press
– Lefteris Bidelas: Editor-in-chief of Kathimerini, one of Greece’s leading newspapers
– Katerina Mandenaki: Researcher at the National and Capodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
See our videos to learn more about those two amazing days, just here.
Five points to remember from the round table 🤔
1. AI, an opportunity for digital transformation
Katerina Mandenaki highlighted key research for IQ Media, highlighting that although AI is seen as an asset for the media, 86% of professionals are not yet aware of the AI tools available’. This reveals an urgent need for training and awareness. 🚨
2. The benefits of AI: efficiency and innovation
Arnaud Aubron (Le Monde and HuffPost) explained how AI not only makes it possible to ‘reduce costs’ and ‘increase revenues’, but also to improve the user experience, particularly through features such as audio playback of articles. 🎧💻
3. Journalists and AI: between scepticism and adaptation
Lefteris Bidelas, editor-in-chief of Kathimerini, insisted on ‘transparency in the use of AI’, a crucial point to avoid misunderstandings about the origin of content. He also warned, ‘Journalists must retain their DNA’, balancing the use of AI with their own expertise. 🧠💡
4. A pragmatic use of AI: avoiding the loss of humanity
Thomas Bidet, CPO of L’Équipe, made it clear that ‘AI must not replace human journalism’. He talked about using AI for repetitive tasks and optimising production, but without ever neglecting the personal touch of journalists. 📰🤖
5. A major challenge: training and risk management
Florent Rimbert, from the Press Alliance, noted that many journalists claim to know about AI, but ‘don’t know how to use it’. This highlights a pressing need for training programmes. He added that ‘a clear ethical charter’ was needed to govern the use of AI in newsrooms. 📚⚖️
CHLOE BACH CHAOUCH (In partnership with IUT de Cannes, school of journalism)
