AI can’t do what a journalist can.

 

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics puts many things AI stands to do up in the air. The Preamble and its 4 sections highlight different aspects of journalistic attributes that should result in, as stated in the preamble, “the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough”.

Seek Truth and Report It: 

The first section of the Journalism Code of Ethics is the most important when in relation to the question: Is AI-involved journalism ethical? In bold, journalism should be fair, accurate, and aim for honesty when distributing information. Specifically, a robot or form of AI can not have a sincere and honest conversation with an individual, or travel with ease from source to source to gather information. 

Minimize Harm:

Essentially, truthful and ethical journalism should treat humans with respect. The second point under this section highlights showing compassion for those who may be sensitive or were affected by topics being covered by the news, and to use heightened sensitivity.  A robot or form of AI lacks the same amount of emotional intelligence shared by a human, and what is felt by an impacted human would not be reflected accurately in the programming of a robot or artificial intelligence. 

Act Independently:

The third section states that “The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public. Though this section doesn't necessarily align with the abilities of AI, a large part is being able to distinguish between news and advertisements. Recently, AI flyers and advertisements have taken over social media, with Facebook ads specifically targeting older audiences. Being able to identify false advertisements made with AI is something that AI itself would have a problem with; this is something only a human could truly distinguish. 

Be Accountable and Transparent:

The last section of the Journalism Code of Ethics highlights responsibility and accountability for one's work. With this, as stated, you need to be able to:

• Respond quickly to questions about accuracy, clarity, and fairness.

• Acknowledge mistakes and correct them promptly and prominently. Explain corrections and clarifications carefully and clearly.

• Abide by the same high standards they expect of others.

Explaining decisions to the public when you were programmed to do just simply does not work, and the sources shared by said AI or robot would tie back to various people, many that may not be of reliable substance. 

In all, reliable journalism relies on the honesty, professionalism, and responsibility of its members. Robots and AI can’t connect with humans on a personal level, can’t write a story that is truly worth the same amount of substance as an experienced journalist, and cannot truly be claimed as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. 

https://www.spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf