How journalists in the Global South and emerging economies are using AI, and the challenges they face
Overview
From enhanced efficiency to personalised reporting, the AI revolution in journalism is reshaping how we produce, distribute and consume news.
This transformation promises creativity and innovation in newsrooms. However, it also presents significant challenges in areas such as ethics and equity. Existing narratives about AI adoption are often Western-centric, yet access to this technology differs worldwide, as do the problems faced by journalists and newsrooms.
To address this imbalance, in October 2024, we surveyed more than 200 journalists – all alumni of our training programmes – from 70+ countries across the Global South and emerging economies to explore their adoption of AI, as well as their hopes and fears about journalism in the AI era.
Using these findings, our new report shines a much-needed spotlight on the journalistic landscape in the Global South and emerging economies, and provides a platform for the voices of journalists navigating rapid technological change. This report forms the first in our TRF Insights series, where we work with our global alumni network of journalists to take timely pulse checks of major developments in the profession and provide data-led insights for the sector.
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Report snapshot
of newsrooms surveyed had no established policy for AI.
While over 80% of the journalists we surveyed were using AI in their profession, almost 8 in 10 had no established policy for AI use in their newsrooms.
said that AI had significantly impacted their work.
Despite concerns about AI’s impact on creativity, originality, and the risk of increased misinformation, journalists expressed a cautious optimism towards this new technology, recognising its capability to support on a diverse range of tasks.
of AI users are self-taught, indicating a greater need for training.
In the absence of clear policies or structured training opportunities, many journalists are taking the initiative to educate themselves about AI.
Key recommendations
Our report features recommendations based on the insights from the journalists we surveyed, as well as our owWhile these challenges are not unique to Kenya, solutions require collaborative action across the country's media freedom ecosystem. Recommendations include the need to:
- Strengthen implementation of access to information and community media laws
- Confront abuse of court processes through legal protections and judicial reform
- Mitigate the impact of repressive and disabling legislation
- Address technology-facilitated harms
- Advance the sustainability of journalism
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Damian Radcliffe
Damian Radcliffe is a journalist, educator, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon. He holds the Chambers Chair in Journalism and is a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) and the Agora Journalism Center, and a Research Associate of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR). He is an expert on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, the evolution of present-day journalistic practice.
