KOTA KINABALU: Media practitioners should not depend on Artificial Intelligence (AI) entirely, says Sabah Journalists Association president, Datuk Mugunthan Vanar.
He acknowledged that AI is transforming the way many people work, including in understaffed newsrooms where it may seem like a convenient solution.
"But we cannot and should not fully rely on it. We reporters, sub editors and editors cannot be replaced by a programme or, to use the IT term, Bots," he said in a speech at the Kinabalu Press Awards (KPA) 2024 night.
Mugunthan said AI may be able to provide a clean copy, but not the human touch.
"In reporting or editing news, ethical or legal decisions rely on our own judgement, AI perhaps can give you a clean copy but not the human touch.
"It might be a good tool to ease your workload, but we should all use our grey matter, as our brain is the best superprocessor. Be proud of your own work and your own writing skills,."
He urged journalists to ensure that articles submitted for the KPA are their original work, and not AI-generated.
He said the KPA judges are seasoned journalists and they can tell the difference between original works and those generated by AI."
Media Prima Bhd bagged five main prizes and nine merits at the 2024 Kinabalu Press Awards, last night.
Present were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.