Reporting on Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook for Journalism Educators

"Critical journalistic scrutiny is essential for all sources (and statistics) concerning AI-related news - no matter whether sources are academics, regulators, big corporates or entrepreneurs."

This handbook offers a curriculum that is designed to develop educators' and learners' theoretical understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) in order to ensure that reporting on issues related to AI is balanced and realistic and to address some of the ethical concerns related to AI that are of public interest. It looks at the basic definitions of AI, the typical myths and discourses around the topic, the hopes and fears regarding AI, and existing policy frameworks and ethical recommendations. The guide has been published as part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Series on Journalism Education, which is intended to function as a paedagogical resource in the form of model curricula.

The handbook looks both at how AI affects the practice of journalism and at the actual reporting on the topic. As explained in the handbook, "One of the benefits of AI in journalism is that it can help writers create better stories. AI can help identify patterns and trends that human reporters may not be able to see. AI can also help gather data and information for stories. This can help reporters save time and energy that can be applied to writing a better story. However, there are also some concerns about AI in journalism. One worry is that AI could be used to create fake news. This is because AI can be used to generate realistic-sounding stories that are not actually true. This could lead to people being misinformed or believing false information. Another concern is that AI could be used to control what stories are being reported. This is because AI can be used to identify what stories are being shared and liked the most on social media and then prioritize those stories. This could lead to a biased and one-sided view of the news." On the other hand, it is also important for journalists to inform audiences about the implication of the technology itself as the "rise and control of artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting society as a whole." For instance, reporting on AI should include "reporting on the power dynamics in the changing relationship between companies, authorities, citizens and computer chips, and between data and algorithms. While many AI deployments serve public interest, journalists also need insight and expertise to alert about aspects like exclusions, unequal benefits, and violations of human rights."

To address both these objectives, the handbook covers the following:

• Understanding machine intelligence and identifying different types of AI;
• Exploring AI's potential, as well as its strengths and weaknesses;
• Imagining diverse futures with AI by recognising pervasive popular narratives that inform public consciousness;
• Understanding journalism's role in mediating and shaping AI discourse;
• Finding ways of reporting about AI in a nuanced, realistic, and accountable manner; and
• Making connections to existing genres of journalism, ranging from general news reporting to data journalism.

The handbook contains seven modules that each include: module aims, learning outcomes, questions for reflection, suggested assignments, and further reading. The contents and modules are as follows:

• Introduction: Pedagogies of Teaching about AI Technologies
• Module 1: Defining Artificial Intelligence - This module defines the concept of AI as an interdisciplinary umbrella term. It introduces the reader to some central concepts that are of relevance for understanding today's AI technologies in and beyond journalism and highlights concrete examples of AI in practice. The module briefly outlines the origins and development of AI and calls for a balanced understanding about the interplay of human and artificial intelligence in contemporary and future society.
• Module 2: Cultural Myths and Narratives about Artificial Intelligence - This module focuses on the central role of cultural myths and common narratives when it comes to understanding AI in society. The chapter takes a look at the expectations humans have formed surrounding the technology and the relationships we have forged with AI systems increasingly being deployed in our workplaces, schools, entertainment venues, and homes. The cultural narratives surrounding AI affect the public discourse and, thus, journalistic coverage. The chapter concludes with the necessity of reading the algorithm, developing a toolkit for journalists and other informed members of society to use as a lens to analyse AI in our daily lives.
• Module 3: Policy Frameworks and Recommendations for Artificial Intelligence - This module focuses on international policy frameworks supporting ethically sustainable use of the development of AI. The module traces the most common characteristics identified in major policy frameworks and outlines a set of criteria for fair, trustworthy, and responsible uses of AI in democratic societies. It discusses how AI policies intend to work towards equality and inclusion, harm prevention, and crisis response. Furthermore, it discusses journalism and journalists' relationship to policy work and how to cover it by finding appropriate source practices. The module examines how to concretise abstract ideas, how to approach expert sources related to various aspects of AI, and how to report.
• Module 4: Reporting in Algorithmic Cultures - This module helps journalism students understand and investigate AI- and data-driven environments in a critical way. The module discusses the essence and importance of algorithms in contemporary society and in the current market economy, addressing potential issues and calling for ways of exploring them in journalistic coverage. It further discusses the difficulties journalists face in a society increasingly reliant on algorithms and explores ways how journalists can handle, expose, explore, and counteract the manipulation of the gatekeeping process by algorithms.
• Module 5: Reporting on Malicious Uses of AI Technologies - This module discusses issues related to the potentially harmful effects created by the use of AI. Technology's position in the public sphere, the inequality of information dissemination, and larger questions about the appropriate use of technology have been the broad talking points. These concerns call for critical AI literacy among journalists so they can cover issues with uncertain ramifications. How should the field of journalism be alert to and monitor social developments in terms of AI? This module identifies and accounts for ethical challenges by covering the aspects of excessive use of AI and big data, online propaganda, deep fakes, bad bots, the dark web, and lapses in cybersecurity.
• Module 6: Patterns of Storytelling about Artificial Intelligence - This module discusses AI as an object of news reporting and a topic of public coverage and the related aesthetics and practices of presentation. As journalism plays a crucial role in mediating ideas related to new technologies to the public, it is important for journalists to be able to select societally relevant topics and frame them in a way that is not overstating or sensational. This chapter provides insight into how AI has been covered in professional media so far and discusses the consequences and implications of different journalistic choices. It also addresses some central shortcomings in the infrastructures of production and reporting of AI and encourages future journalists to reflect upon their role as potential changemakers and audience educators.
• Module 7: Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and Journalistic Practice - This module briefly introduces the use of AI in journalism and journalistic practices - for example, in machine-written articles and robot journalism - and calls for critical self-coverage and reflection on ethics, as well as best practices in editorial decisions in news gathering, production, and distribution. It also encourages educators and teachers to make innovative uses of AI in journalism to enhance transparency, creativity, and problem-solving.
• A Checklist of Eighteen Pitfalls in AI Journalism
• Afterword: Educating AI-savvy Journalists
• Glossary of Terms