AI and Journalism in Southeast Asia: A Survey of Opportunities and Challenges
Raphael Lachkar and Chatrine Siswoyo
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Introduction
Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the world of journalism in unprecedented ways. AI offers new possibilities while also posing significant challenges for journalists and media organizations as they navigate how this technological revolution is changing the journalistic status quo and bringing the promise of enhanced efficiency and creativity. From automated content generation to data-driven storytelling, news production has evolved, and the media industry may never be the same again.
How are journalists in Southeast Asia, a region with diverse cultures, languages, and media landscapes, adapting to and adopting AI in their work? What are their perceptions, attitudes, and concerns about AI and its impact on journalism? How can media stakeholders, such as communications consultancies, engage effectively and ethically with journalists who use or cover AI topics?
To answer these questions, Vero surveyed 70 technology and non-technology journalists from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The survey aimed to understand how journalists in these markets were using, learning, and feeling about AI, as well as their expectations, challenges, and needs related to AI and journalism. The survey also explored how journalists’ knowledge and experience of AI influenced their views and trust in AI applications and sources.
This white paper presents the survey results and analysis, along with key recommendations and best practices for communications practitioners who leverage or deploy AI in Southeast Asia.
The role of AI in journalism
While the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought the topic of artificial intelligence to the forefront of public consciousness, AI is not a new phenomenon, especially in the journalism and media industry, in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Artificial intelligence, defined broadly as the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines to perform tasks such as content generation, data mining and analysis, image recognition, and language translation, has long been utilized in international newsrooms. BBC has been using Juicer since 2012 to aggregate and extract news articles, aiding reporters in accessing relevant content. The Associated Press employs Wordsmith to produce automated stories on topics such as sports and finance, while Reuters has a proprietary news generation tool called Lynx Insight that it has been using since 2018 to generate short stories based on various data sets, produce alerts and triggers for journalists on interesting stock and index moves. The New York Times leverages Editor to assist editors in selecting and promoting stories. And in 2020, The Guardian published an op-ed entirely written by GPT-3.
One has probably read more AI-written headlines or interview transcripts than they realize, as the AI applications mentioned above and several others accessible to the public—such as Gemini, Dall-E2, and Duet AI—have become part of news production.
However, the integration of AI tools in journalism raises valid concerns and challenges in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. First and foremost, there is notable tension in preserving the human judgment and creativity of journalists amidst the automation facilitated by large language models (LLM). As AI assumes tasks traditionally performed by humans, journalists are pushed to adapt and acquire new skill sets to remain relevant in the evolving news production and consumption landscape.
There are also debates on the ethical use of these tools: To what extent can journalists and editors use AI? How transparent should the media be about AI’s involvement in the news production process? Journalists and the public have also voiced scepticism over the quality, accuracy, and credibility of the generated texts, which are fundamental to the integrity of human journalism. Additionally, the vast amount of data LLMs are trained on may reflect patterns and biases, which can inadvertently perpetuate misinformation or skewed narratives.
“Good journalism involves coming up with original thoughts that people want to hear. While generative AI can write in a convincingly human way, ultimately, all it does is repurpose and restructure existing knowledge. Journalists will thrive in the AI age by honing their ability to uncover new facts, bring original thinking to issues and debates, and give it to their audiences in compelling, human ways.”
– Marr, B. (2024, March 22). How Generative AI Will Change The Jobs Of Journalists. Forbes
AI familiarity vs adaptiveness among Southeast Asian journalists
Vero’s survey found that journalists in Southeast Asia are generally well-acquainted with artificial intelligence, particularly in terms of its capabilities and applications. Indonesia and Thailand notably exhibit high levels of familiarity, with 95% of journalists in these countries understanding AI. In Thailand, this familiarity aligns closely with adaptiveness, which stands at 95%, indicating a strong correlation between AI comprehension and effective integration into Thai journalists’ work.
However, intriguing patterns emerge in other markets surveyed. Although Indonesian journalists demonstrate a high level of familiarity with AI, only 75% have incorporated it into their work. This trend is even more pronounced in the Philippines, where 90% of journalists report familiarity with AI, yet only 52% have integrated it into their journalistic activities.
In contrast, despite a familiarity level of only 78% in Vietnam, 100% of surveyed journalists express positive sentiments in adapting to the changes brought by AI in their line of work.
These varied trends across Southeast Asia reveal the complex dynamics of AI adoption in journalism. Factors such as specialized training, available resources, and organizational support play a critical role in determining how effectively media organizations can embrace and utilize AI technologies in their operations.
AI as a welcome ally in the newsroom
As AI technology becomes more accessible and journalists in the region increasingly engage with it, we observe a predominantly optimistic outlook on the role AI plays in the newsroom. Despite initial and ongoing scepticism over employment disruptions and ethical concerns, the technology is embraced positively in the region.
This awareness reflects journalists’ expectations regarding the influence of AI on journalism in Southeast Asia: 84% of respondents express favorable sentiments toward the impact of artificial intelligence on their job, marking a significant contrast from the 4% who remain neutral and the 12% who view its impact negatively. Vietnam stands out with a unanimous 100% positive outlook on AI, which highlights a strong endorsement of AI as a valuable tool in their professional practice.
The Philippines notably exhibits the lowest positive impact rate and the highest negative impact rate, possibly due to the widespread use of English in local journalism. This linguistic context may contribute to AI technology appearing more threatening to their work compared to other markets.
“AI helps us streamline the writing process and with other time-consuming tasks such as transcription and translation.” – VnExpress, Vietnam
“The use of AI in journalism presents opportunities for automating routine tasks like data gathering and analysis, enabling journalists to focus on more in-depth reporting.” – TechG3, Philippines
“AI can create outlines. This can be input for coverage ideas.” – Kompas Online, Indonesia
“We see the potential for AI to assist in planning, suggesting ideas, reviewing, and developing a broader perspective on a wide range of content.” – techhub, Thailand
Newsrooms see the transformative potential of integrating AI into news gathering, production, and distribution. For example, fact-checking chatbots are used in news production to verify or refute specific claims. The data collected through these chatbots can help identify misinformation trends and generate topics for feature articles. AI tools are also used for speech-to-text transcription and automated translation, saving valuable time that can be devoted to in-depth investigative work and covering more complex stories.
Moreover, AI applications help newsrooms in sourcing material from a variety of channels. They enable editorial teams to measure audience interests as part of a data-driven production cycle.
In terms of news distribution, AI tools are used to personalize and recommend content that matches audience preferences. These tools adapt content to specific platforms, whether websites, social media, desktop, or mobile, thereby increasing audience reach and engagement.
This not only enhances productivity at scale but also augments the quality of reporting for journalists by enabling them to delve deeper into issues that matter most to their audiences. Moreover, journalists who perceive AI as a catalyst in making their work more efficient can position themselves at the forefront of innovative journalism practices—proving AI as an ally, not a foe, when employed the right way.
Questions on AI ethics and best journalism practices
Artificial intelligence remains uncharted territory, and its fast-paced evolution makes it more complicated to determine just how much further AI will disrupt the journalism network and the media industry in Southeast Asia. Journalists raise questions—as they should—about the extent of its impact on their work, the legal and ethical considerations when using AI in news writing, reporting, and distribution, and future implications for journalism as the technology continues to advance.
The utilization of AI in journalism also prompts discussion about copyright issues, considering LLMs are based primarily on the vast collection of text available on the internet, which includes books, articles, and other forms of content written by real people.
In May, Scarlet Johanson clashed with OpenAI for allegedly replicating her voice without her consent. The New York Times reported on the rise of AI-generated cybercrime activities in China. These incidents underscore the need for clear regulations and guidelines to govern the content used and reproduced by AI tools.
In Southeast Asia journalism, there’s stronger, more rigorous scrutiny of AI usage as journalists are considered the voice of society, and the stories they tell hold immense influence over their audiences. The media’s heightened social responsibility amplifies concerns over editorial standards, competitiveness, and productivity.
“Will AI render my job as a writer/editor/journalist obsolete, and if yes, when?” – C! Magazine, Philippines
“AI is a threat to journalists’ work and work ethics. AI can’t do field work or talk to sources to verify facts. It encourages complacency, especially in gathering facts.” – THEPHILBIZNEWS, Philippines
“I am concerned about whether Thailand will be able to keep up with other countries, including whether Southeast Asian countries will be able to keep up with the West.” – ADPT.news, Thailand
It is not surprising, therefore, that journalists surveyed by Vero are concerned about a range of issues, from AI governance to technology’s potential impacts on human labor and cybersecurity challenges. These reflect a broader apprehension among journalists regarding the responsible and sustainable integration of AI into their professional work.
In the Philippines and Indonesia, there is notable worry about the potential for AI to displace human-powered journalism. Many fear that the automation of tasks traditionally performed by humans could lead to job losses and negatively impact their livelihoods.
This sentiment is echoed by Thai journalists who emphasize the risk of over-reliance on technology, as journalists become too dependent on AI’s ability to pull data and create content in a matter of minutes, which would eventually (if it has not happened yet) affect the trustworthiness of their work, overall productivity, and human judgment in reporting. In Vietnam, where journalists are most enthusiastic about the usage of AI, there is a strong emphasis on data privacy and the security of AI systems in handling sensitive information.
These perspectives are not limited to Southeast Asia but are part of a global dialogue on how to integrate AI tools properly and ethically into the newsroom and general journalism work. This presents both an opportunity and challenge for media organizations and journalists to balance the advantages of automation with the preservation of journalistic values.
Thomson Foundation, together with 16 organizations, launched last year the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism. The charter defines the crucial ethics and principles that the media industry worldwide should adopt and use to “uphold the right to information, champion independent journalism, and commit to trustworthy news and media outlets in the era of AI.”
News outlets in the region have already begun crafting policies governing AI use in journalism. The Philippines’ Rappler, for instance, has already unveiled guidelines on how they approach AI in their news coverage, while Indonesia’s Tempo rolled out terms for the use of its journalistic content to train AI. These two examples set a precedent for responsible AI integration that can be emulated globally.
There is also an important responsibility for technology companies, especially those that offer artificial intelligence programs specifically tailored to journalists, to ensure that their tools support rather than undermine the core principles of journalism. Developing AI systems that enhance the quality of reporting, uphold journalism ethics, and provide strong data security measures can help journalists feel more confident and secure in leveraging AI to raise the standards of news reporting.
There’s room for improvement—for journalists and AI technology
Important challenges lie ahead of a responsible AI world, especially regarding its impact on local workforce competitiveness. Acknowledging these issues should, therefore, be central to any engagement with media representatives. Any work done with organizations to train and enhance AI skills, for instance, would help tell an important story about the positive role technology has on productivity and competitiveness.
Journalists in Southeast Asia are positive that AI tools can be used to enhance the standard of reporting in the region, leveraging technology in data collection and analysis, content generation, plagiarism detection, transcription, proofreading and quality improvement, and visual content creation, among others.
This optimism correlates with a strong desire among journalists, particularly in Thailand and Vietnam, to be educated about AI. Reporters are eager to understand AI functions as they recognize its power to streamline their workflow and improve reporting quality. Gaining a deeper knowledge of AI technology, both its capabilities and limitations, will enable journalists to harness these tools strategically and stay competitive in the expanding digital media landscape.
The broader implication is that journalists who believe that the use of AI in journalism will improve the quality of reporting in Southeast Asia can be strong proponents of education about AI technology and its impact. Conversely, journalists who do not associate AI with improved reporting quality tend to rate AI education as less important.
Our analysis of the survey data reveals a clear correlation: increased familiarity and usage of AI correlate with a stronger preference, interest, and desire to learn more about it. Notably, 100% of journalists who reported being very familiar with AI anticipated a positive impact and emphasized the importance of AI education. In contrast, journalists with less familiarity are more likely to predict the negative impact of AI on journalism.
“Therefore, AI is not the problem; the concern should be how AI is being used. Those who can effectively utilize AI will perform better than those who lack AI knowledge, potentially widening the gap in the future. Providing AI education to the general public is thus far more crucial.” – beartai, Thailand
This insight is important as it shows that a positive perception of AI is linked to how much and how well one uses it. Similarly, if journalists are not adequately trained and do not have sufficient knowledge, they will be less inclined to use AI, advocate for its adoption, and pursue further training. This creates a feedback loop where familiarity and positive engagement with AI reinforce each other.
The Washington Post has already demonstrated how AI can significantly augment journalism. In 2020, the media giant employed Heliograf, an AI-driven system designed to automate reporting. Heliograf was used to create real-time election updates, such as reporting on election results across various races, which allowed journalists to focus on more in-depth analysis and reporting during such a critical period of coverage.
Further AI training could help journalists in Southeast Asia with fact-checking information, as using natural language processing (NLP) tools can analyze the sentiment, tone, and credibility of statements made by spokespersons, politicians, or other sources of information. For instance, journalists could use NLP to identify if a statement is overly positive or negative, vague or specific, confident or doubtful, or factual or opinionated, verifying its accuracy and relevance.
Several organizations are also actively organizing dedicated training programs to delve into the multifaceted aspects of AI in journalism. The International Center for Journalists will bring together journalists from Asia and Europe for a workshop in September. The Malaysian government has also initiated AI training for media practitioners as part of its AI Sandbox 2024 program. These are crucial in equipping journalists with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate AI technologies, which can be especially useful in extensive news coverage that requires fast news distribution and accurate analysis of information.
Recommendations for AI-powered organizations
Journalists in Southeast Asia are generally positive and open to integrating more AI into their work. They are confident about their ability to adjust to AI technology changes, eager to keep learning and exploring available tools, and mindful of the complex issues AI will pose to society. AI organizations should actively engage with them to foster their role as advocates and supporters of the ethical and valuable use of AI technology.
Educate
The positive correlation between the amount of usage, keenness to use it, and keenness to be trained creates a virtuous dynamic in which AI organizations have a critical role to play. By engaging and dedicating time to helping journalists make the most of the latest AI advancements in their daily lives, organizations will create allies and advocates for their solutions and eventually promote a more ethical and inclusive use of AI in Southeast Asia.
This approach includes hosting dedicated programs to support media houses with custom training solutions for their teams, ensuring work is done to best understand their needs, and devising products that cater to these needs.
Acknowledge
AI tools are transforming the media and information scene in Southeast Asia. Journalists must keep up with LLMs, all the while knowing that the technology is poised to replace critical parts of their work. This group of journalists will be the last generation that joined the profession without AI, and our survey revealed their critical, recurring concerns regarding independence and overreliance, copyright issues, replacement of human labor, and the credibility of journalism overall.
Thus, it is important for AI companies to be cognizant of the situation that journalists are in and to continue engaging with the new questions that AI raises, to which profound answers have not yet been found. These include:
How equipped and ready are media houses to tackle, vet, and leverage AI-generated information streams? How will AI transform and potentially replace a journalist’s work? How involved will media houses be in regulating AI and defining the ethical use of AI in Journalism? What are the ways for organizations and, in general, countries to maintain their autonomy in a highly divided AI service provider market? How much will AI service providers influence the business models of media houses?
Be transparent
As a critical force influencing the future of journalism, AI organizations have a responsibility to be transparent with media stakeholders about what they know and can control and what they don’t and can’t.
Organizations should maintain public and accessible disclosures with regard to how their products affect and transform the information landscape, including how and if they may be making untrue statements and what information they use to train their AI models.
Be responsible
LLMs have a complicated structure that reflects the bias of the content they learned from. Therefore, organizations that promote AI should be responsible for their products’ words and actions and make sure that media houses can reach the humans in the organization who design and decide on these tools.
This means having skilled and reachable representatives ready to answer AI questions and topics in the media and taking responsibility for the new problems that such tools create.
Conclusion
AI is transforming the media landscape in unprecedented ways, creating both opportunities and challenges for journalists, publishers, and audiences. As a communications agency, Vero embraces this shift and aims to be a force for responsible use of AI that respects and upholds the vital role of journalism in Southeast Asia. We believe that AI can enhance, not replace, human creativity and storytelling, and we are committed to working with our clients and partners to harness its potential for positive impact. We also recognize the need for transparency, accountability, and ethical standards in the development and deployment of AI tools, and we welcome dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure that AI serves the common good.
Artificial intelligence remains uncharted territory, and its fast-paced evolution makes it more complicated to determine just how much further AI will disrupt the journalism network and the media industry in Southeast Asia. Journalists raise questions—as they should—about the extent of its impact on their work, the legal and ethical considerations when using AI in news writing, reporting, and distribution, and future implications for journalism as the technology continues to advance.
This optimism correlates with a strong desire among journalists, particularly in Thailand and Vietnam, to be educated about AI. Reporters are eager to understand AI functions as they recognize its power to streamline their workflow and improve reporting quality. Gaining a deeper knowledge of AI technology, both its capabilities and limitations, will enable journalists to harness these tools strategically and stay competitive in the expanding digital media landscape.
