The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and Media and Journalism partners on Friday 8 December 2023 held a workshop on ‘Investigative Journalism & AI- 101: Future of Investigative Journalism in The Wake of AI’.
The workshop which had participants from the media, academia and media-based organisations in attendance, held on the sidelines of Day 1 of the Amplify In-depth Media Conference 2023.
The workshop trained journalists on practical ways they can deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the quality of the work that they do.
Participants at the workshop learnt about tools they can use to craft story angles, collaborate across borders, and get vital data for their reporting amongst others.
Trainers for the workshop include: Titilope Fadare, Assistant Podcast Editor, SciDev.Net and Usifo Omozokpea, Audience Development Manager, The Conversation Africa who emphasised on the need for journalists to take ownership of using AI and understand that while AI won’t do investigations for journalists, it can greatly enhance the quality and reach of their work.
The trainers however cautioned that using AI is a process that requires constant engagement to help the tools in use get familiar with individual work and queries, as it relates to journalism.
Some of the tools discussed include Newsleak, DMINR, NewsWhip, Microsoft 365, Signal AI, Tableau, TinEye and Genie.
Participants at the workshop expressed their readiness to apply the skill acquired. Aisha Shuaibu, Badeggi Radio said she has been hearing about journalism and AI but had no idea how it was supposed to work.
“This workshop taught me about AI and things that I can use Artificial Intelligence to do in becoming more productive as a Journalist. As a broadcast person, I am particularly interested in exploring tools for editing videos and voices, and generating questions for stories I will be working on. I believe these tools will improve the way I work,” she said.
Another participant, Ahmed Ishiaku, Stallion Times, noted that he would ensure to transfer knowledge acquired to journalists under his mentorship.
He said, “I have learnt about tools and acquired the technical expertise required to navigate many of these tools. As a broadcaster and media entrepreneur, I write investigative stories and believe that AI is the future of journalism. The things I have learnt here is what I will apply to my work and use to train journalists under my mentorship.”
