Fact-based News as a “Public Good”

Fact-based, responsible journalism must be seen as a public good that’s supports democracy and requires government policy, Aengus Bridgman, director of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, told WPFC’s AI symposium. Bridgman participated on a panel on Misinformation, Disinformation and AI: Trust on the Line. He participated with David Skok, publisher of the online news site The […]

Media Leaders Convene Canadian AI Journalism Alliance

Following the WPFC symposium, two of the panellists – the CBC’s Rignam Wangkhang and Nikita Roy of Newsroom Robots – convened a newly formed Canadian AI Journalism Alliance to keep the industry abreast of developments and best practices. Some 40 media leaders, including newsroom managers, union officials and representatives of journalists’ organizations, gathered at CBC’s […]

ICYMI: Must-read stories

Parliament Hill journalists denounce ‘unprecedented’ lack of invitation for Carney’s Egypt trip Parliamentary Press Gallery denounces secrecy around Carney’s trip to Egypt; lack of notice and opportunity to travel with the Prime Minister “erodes access, transparency and accountability.” Read more Trump threatens to sue BBC as broadcaster faces ‘fight for its survival’ U.S. President Donald […]

Public Interest Must Drive Canada’s Approach to AI

Artificial intelligence is reshaping our world at a pace that demands both caution and speed in determining how it should be used and managed. The deployment of AI brings both threats and opportunities to the gathering and dissemination of the fact-based news that is essential to our democracy. As such, it is deeply intertwined with […]

WPFC convenes a symposium on AI and the press: Threats and opportunities

Is AI a curse or a blessing? World Press Freedom Canada will host a symposium on Parliament Hill on Nov. 6 to explore the influence of artificial intelligence on press freedom. We’ll identify the threats AI presents to journalists and news organizations, while considering the opportunities it creates to enhance in-depth reporting in an era […]

Speaking of threats . . . Trump

Press freedom and free speech continue to take a beating in the United States, as President Donald Trump and his acolytes seek to tamp down criticism. When an Australian journalist asked about Trump family business conflicts, the president responded that the tough questions were hurting Australia “very much” because its government wants to stay on […]

Media companies ask Canadian courts to protect their copyrighted material from OpenAI’s ChatGPT

In September, OpenAI lawyers argued in an Ontario court that Canadian judges have no jurisdiction over a lawsuit by leading media companies claiming the tech company uses their copyrighted material to generate AI search answers. OpenAI’s lawyers argued that if copyrighted material was used, it happened in the U.S. and any lawsuit should be filed […]

Quebec’s Mila Intelligence Institute marries AI research and the public good

Artificial intelligence is a new technology with the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, but it also carries frightening risks if it grows out of control and harms humanity. This mix of risk and opportunity applies to the press, as it does to most modern institutions. Researchers at Mila, led by […]

Readers trust news less when AI is involved

Research from the University of Kansas found that when readers think AI is involved in news production, they have lower trust in the credibility of the news, even if they don’t fully understand what it contributed.

Pushing back against ‘AI-generated slop’

Toronto lifestyle magazine, The Grind, caught seven freelance articles for a special edition that they believed were AI-generated stories about fake people and places.