PUTRAJAYA: The Communications Ministry has called on the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) to design a specific module or programme on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to benefit the local media industry.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the module, among other things, can help streamline the news production process and, at the same time, identify deep fake content, which involves the misuse of content and AI to spread fake news.
"I hope in the not-too-distant future, we can have a specific module, and we can invite our media friends to attend it," he told reporters after launching the Malaysian Code of Ethics for Journalists here today.
Asked whether he thinks with the advent of AI, the jobs of journalists would be made redundant, the minister said; "I don't think so".
The AI cannot go down to the ground and speak to the people, he stressed.
"We acknowledge that AI has some good capabilities, but if you were to compare AI preparing a report versus humans, AI can maybe get it to about 60 per cent.
"So there will be a lot of loopholes and shortcomings which can only be filled with human minds. I think especially when it comes to this rapportage and analysis, there are many different disciplines in journalism that we cannot yet replace with something like AI," he explained.
Fahmi also stressed the need to curb the spread of fake news and the importance of disseminating accurate information to the public.
However, he said there should be an effort to raise awareness so that the public can identify if a piece of news or information is false.
"Therefore, I see the Code of Ethics for Journalists launched today as part of the government's overall effort to shape a culture that is not only concerned with the truth but also fair to journalists," he said.
"We cannot blame the media for publishing news because there are times when other parties simply spread information by using screenshots without including the entire context of the reported news," he added.
Fahmi said the ministry is also looking into the need for MPI and non-governmental organisations to help disseminate the Code of Ethics for Journalists, especially to media outlets with a quasi-journalistic nature.
"We may need to look at other media outlets that may have a quasi-journalistic nature because some of them may be lifestyle-oriented but, from time to time, they also publish news that may cause a bit of confusion.
"This is important so that we can make the overall media landscape resilient against fake news and defamation," he added.
The Malaysian Code of Ethics for Journalists launched today is a revised version reviewed by the Information Department to replace the code that has been in use for the past 35 years.– BERNAMA
