Senior analyst and columnist Asad Mirza says AI can help in creating content, but human supervision over this content is indispensable
NEW DELHI — At the ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), Abu Dhabi-based Muslim Elders Council organised a panel discussion on ‘AI for Humanity: Religious Perspective on Ethical AI.’ It was chaired by Dr Zikrur Rehman, former Indian ambassador to the erstwhile Palestinian Authority (PA) and consul general in Riyadh.
Sanjay Kapoor, a renowned journalist and president of the Editors Guild of India, said reporting is an occupation which has the greatest power compared to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The problem is that most news organisations are now spending less on reporting and are becoming more dependent on the internet.
Tech tsar Elon Musk had said that in the future the job of a plumber will be safe, but not that of a journalist, especially if he is limited to asking questions. But, in fact, the reporter himself is strengthening AI this way, Kapoor further said.
Kapoor also warned about the dangers of AI and said that the media community in India is not fully aware of the dangers of AI. For example, ChatGPT, despite being two years old, can write better than a regular journalist. The result is that jobs may disappear, if journalism does not include emotional attachment, ground reporting and human experience, AI will replace journalists and people will not even know when and how it happened.
Kapoor also said that there is a dire need for regulation and oversight to control AI and unless developers and institutions take ethics and journalistic values seriously, misinformation will continue to spread.
Dr Mudassar Qamar, Assistant Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said evolution of AI and its impact on academics is big achievement and a cause of concern also. Today, there are AI tools that do everything from reference lists, literature reviews, grammar checking, etc. Some students have become completely dependent on AI, which makes research dehumanised and uncreative. It also has positive aspects, such as helping students with language difficulties. He said that both teachers and students need to strike a balance between caution and understanding in using AI.
Highlighting the possibilities and concerns of Artificial Intelligence dominating all walks of life in the world, senior analyst and columnist Asad Mirza said that AI is a tool for journalism, not a substitute. He said that as far as artificial intelligence in journalism is concerned, when it came to the fore, there were serious concerns that it would eliminate jobs, especially in the writing sector and content preparation. These concerns proved to be correct to some extent. In March last year, an Italian newspaper Il Folgio published a four-page supplement for the first time that was created entirely by artificial intelligence— i.e. selection and editing of news, page layout, everything was done by AI.
Mirza further said that the next day British newspaper, The Guardian, gave this supplement to its AI tool and had it analysed for quality. Its submission was that the selection of news was good, editing was sharp, page layout was excellent, however, the human element was missing in the news presentation. The news seemed to be purely computer-generated. It had everything but the human emotions.
Mirza said that AI can help in creating content, but human supervision over this content is indispensable. Without a human touch, news cannot connect with the reader, cannot meet his expectations. Therefore, artificial intelligence can be an aid in journalism, but it is not a complete substitute nor can it completely dominate journalism, at least not for now.
He proved from Qur’anic references that there is no evidence anywhere that AI is opposed or prohibited in Islam. In fact, the Qur’an encourages people to use their resources to improve their lives and benefit themselves. He said that Islam’s stance on AI is that it allows the use of everything new, except for worship, as long as it does not fall under the ambit of prohibition.
