Rise of AI will restore journalism

Yes, there will be casualties in all of this but one thing is for sure, journalism is not going to die. It will mutate not die off.

The Salem Witch Trials

At any point in the history of mankind, a new thing has always been met by hysteria complete with pitchforks and burnings akin to the Salem witch trials of 1692.

There were many medical breakthroughs that we are used to today, that back then, were deemed as witchcraft and doctors had to flee to save their lives.

In the late 20s when radio was getting popular and more people were relying on it, many thought that print as a news medium was about to die. Yes, they have been killing print for years and it still exists even though it is greatly hobbled now.

As far back as the 1800s, technological advancements have always been met with great fear.

The Luddites, a group of English textile workers were hysterical when the weaving machines were introduced. They feared that these machines were coming to kill their livelihoods.

Years later, this innovation brought about more work, more factories and more money. The Luddites who went ahead and learnt how to use machines survived, those who stuck to their old ways thinned out.

All these historical examples show that fear is part of any dawning innovation moment and with good reason; humans get used to one way or one thing for a while and so trying to bring something that is faster and better breeds contempt and fear.

This is what is happening in journalism today and of course, many other industries and this fear stops many from seeing the opportunities that will come up from the new, shiny thing.

Can Journalism survive AI?

So, can journalists still survive Generative AI? I say yes! People still want to be informed, they want breaking news, they want stories that are near and dear to them and to be honest, AI cannot do that, yet.

What AI will do is take journalism back to its roots, when it told authentic human stories, covered local politics, helped make sense of that new Bill in Parliament, and gave context to the controversial Housing Bill or the controversial Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) that is about to make us poorer by invading our payslips and we are not sure if they will do what they are saying they will do.

Sure, we still want that list of 10 things to do in Nairobi, Mumbai or North Mugirango but we still yearn for authentic human stories. Who was Rita Waeni, Scarlet Wahu and how have their murders wrecked families, what is that new Wambugu Apple and how can it help farmers improve their yields?

I am confident that as much as AI seems like it can do anything and everything, it cannot replace the human touch, emotion, judgment and even ethics critical for good journalism.

Stories should not be just about figures and complicated math; sometimes you want to read a story that will make you smile, laugh, cry and even be confused.

Sometimes even a typo here and there adds to the authenticity of it all. I say this knowing I might be skinned alive but you get the context.