Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Despite the global rise in implementation of the AI systems into the journalistic workflows, an appropriate ethical code of conduct is still not included in the media product development – neither in the U.S.A., nor in Germany. While editorial and marketing teams of media outlets are mostly focused on the AI-supported content creation and expanding of their target audiences, media experts are concerned about the absence of a well-structured guidance on AI ethics. The aim of this study is to make a brief comparative analysis of the AI tools that are being used in the US and German news media (including text-to-speech features for voice assistants by DW). Our research also focuses on the ethical implementations of artificial intelligence and up-to-date evaluations provided by media experts from both countries. The problems of privacy with regard to users’ data traces being left online and algorithmic content customization are among the aspects that we are rising in discussions with media scientists. We also take a look into their predicaments regarding the chances of AI to influence democratic processes in society and change the interaction between technology and human values. In terms of methodology, our research is based on semi-structured interviews with media practitioners and media experts. Our study aims to initiate a discussion on a necessary ethical regulation of the online news media involving the AI systems in their workflow processes. It seeks to bridge the gap between the study of the AI implementation and its regulatory framework at the metalevel.