Fox News freelance correspondent Zachary Anders has imagined a future in which he would no longer need to report from the field because a synthetic version of him would be doing it instead.
His words, spoken through this AI-generated version of himself, would convey a narrative detached from the truth.
Anders presented this vision to an audience of foreign journalists and thought leaders on Monday evening at a Government Press Office (GPO) event held at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, as he described how the battle for fake news is moving rapidly to frontiers that have yet to be imagined, putting journalism under existential threat.
“If the freedom of information in free speech is the pillar or the foundation of our democracy, it is under attack from every angle,” said Anders. “It is crumbling. It is sinking.”
While most of the discussion centered on the challenges of covering the conflict and the battle for truth in the foreign press, Anders answered the question, “How do you get up every day and report on tragedy?” by expressing less concern about doing his job and more about whether his job will exist.
“We don’t even know what our enemy is. The TikTok algorithm: Does anyone know how that formula is accounted for? How does the Chinese government decide who gets to see what?” Anders said. “We are so far beyond the curve, and we don’t know what comes next. But I can tell you that it is scary.
“This is what we are fighting against. We need to do something; our states need to take action,” he said. “There needs to be a ‘Digital Bill of Rights.’”
Can the world of journalism catch up to AI?
THE FRIGHTENING punchline of the world that Anders described is that technology is moving faster than we are and is already so far ahead that some experts are concerned that it may be impossible to catch up.
His comments came only weeks after the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Risks Report 2024 and identified misinformation and disinformation as the top risk, saying that it could “destabilize society.”
Foreign and domestic actors will leverage this misinformation to widen societal and political divides, the report predicted.
“As close to three billion people are expected to head to the electoral polls across several economies – including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States – over the next two years, the widespread use of misinformation and disinformation, and tools to disseminate it, may undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments,” the report said. “Resulting unrest could range from violent protests and hate crimes, to civil confrontation and terrorism.”
The report highlighted a concerning trend wherein people’s perceptions of reality could intensify polarization, eroding the foundation of truth. This escalation might prompt governments to seek control over information dissemination to ensure that only what they believe is the truth gets out.
Citizens residing in ostensibly democratic societies might be subject to censorship or other restraints.
“Freedoms relating to the Internet, press, and access to wider sources of information that are already in decline risk descending into broader repression of information flows across a wider set of countries,” the WEF report said. “The convergence of the ‘post-truth era,’ election processes, and the surge in generative AI over the last year means that tech companies, governments, and media must consider how they can help protect democracies.”
During the forum, a separate report was published discussing the challenges of AI and the media. That WEF report, “Principles for the Future of Responsible Media in the Era of AI,” suggested five principles by which media should govern in what it coined as “GenAI.”
The principles were:
- Principle 1: Adopting principles for the creation of quality content and trustworthy information
- Principle 2: Embracing openness to innovation and responsible adoption of generative AI
- Principle 3: Empowering consumers through enhanced transparency
- Principle 4: Enhancing accountability by developing and adopting common standards
- Principle 5: Fostering ethical leadership and upskilling the workforce
The first principle relates to the idea of “truth and accuracy,” “transparency,” and “accountability” – ensuring that even as journalists use AI, they adhere to standard journalistic codes of conduct.
The second centers on embracing AI for its benefits – improving writing and editing efficiency and creating business opportunities.
The third is about labeling what has been created with AI so that consumers can put it into context.
The fourth is about defining “common standards for compliance.”
And the last is about training staff to navigate GenAI.
These principles become even more critical when the report’s data is considered. For example, the report highlighted that less than half of the population (40%) trusted the media most of the time in 2023, which decreased from the previous year. Moreover, it showed that half of the population was worried about fake news. Finally, it said that 90% of information online will be “synthetic” by 2026.
IN ISRAEL, the situation may be even more acute, with only 22% of Jewish Israelis expressing trust in the media, according to a 2022 Israel Democracy Index survey. The survey showed that trust in the media has been dropping in the country since 2019.
What do media leaders have to say about all this?
Well, like Anders, who is only 27, they are concerned – though also excited about the power of technology to improve the craft.
“Bloomberg has long been an innovator in combining the magic of humans and technology to deliver better, faster information. It’s core to our AI approach,” Bloomberg Chairman Peter Grauer is quoted as saying in the WEF report. “Now, as the pace of change accelerates, we believe it’s vital for leaders across industries to come together on principles that preserve trust in [the] media.”
“As AI radically transforms our industry, it is the responsibility of media companies to uphold the standards of transparency and accuracy and provide global access to quality journalism,” said Jessica Sibley, chief executive officer of Time.
Added Stefan von Holtzbrinck, chief executive officer of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group: “It’s the journalistic brand, and the journalists are the heart and soul of their brands who will make the essential difference. People trust, first and foremost, people. For our journalists, being visible, transparent, accountable, accessible, and committed to the highest standards will more than ever be the key to success and distinguish quality journalism from just gobbling up information and forging it into synthetic content. Those who invest in the best journalists will succeed; machines will be there only as their support.”
Technology has been a huge benefit to journalists in the last decade, especially during COVID-19, when it enabled the press to access information from wherever they were. However, as too many experts are starting to point out, technology can be dangerous. If it puts journalism under existential threat, then it also places democracy and the future of free societies at risk.
The writer is deputy CEO – strategy and innovation for The Jerusalem Post and a senior correspondent. She also co-hosts the Inside Israeli Innovation podcast.