Ethical questions about ethics
Today, CMT co-director Monica Attard and Research Fellow Michael Davis are presenting their work on how journalists use AI, at the 2023 Humanising AI Futures Symposium at UTS. Their presentation outlines a new research project exploring how the ethics and practice of traditional public interest journalism can be maintained given the inevitable adoption of generative AI models in newsrooms, as well as their impact on an already critical information disorder problem.
As today’s symposium raises important concerns about understanding the human-machine relationship in the context of creativity, journalism and ethics, I cannot help thinking – especially after my recent work-related trip to the ‘troubled’ France – about the ethical dilemmas in media coverage of civic unrest and political conflict, and most importantly the human suffering it causes. However, more importantly, what can academics do about it? This also happened to be one of the key issues raised at the recent International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) conference that was held in Lyon, France from 9-13 July 2023. In my piece, I return to some of the key issues discussed during the four plenaries at the IAMCR conference.
Speaking of symposiums and conferences, yesterday, the CMT was pleased to co-host an event with DIGI, Australia’s digital platform industry body and administrator of the Australian Code of Practice on Misinformation and Disinformation. The event included two panel discussions. The first was moderated by CMT co-director Derek Wilding and featured Professor Andrea Carson from Latrobe University and Dr Jenny Duxbury, DIGI’s director of policy and regulatory affairs. The panel examined some of the key issues arising in the consultation on the government’s draft bill to give ACMA powers to regulate online misinformation.
The second panel, focusing on best-practice approaches to content moderation and misinformation, was a lively discussion that explored the important role played by organisations other than digital platforms in helping to address problems in the online information environment.
Next in this newsletter is Sacha Molitorisz’s piece in which he raises an ethical question of whether a sour breakup between two politicians is of public interest or rather a private event between two individuals who deserve, and in this case required, privacy in the media coverage.
Lastly, Tim Koskie discusses Wikipedia's role in the digital transition and the concerns of its contributors about AI tools. He highlights the growing apprehension towards AI and Large Language Models, which are perceived as replacing creative human work in various fields. What’s interesting about his piece is that he argues that the root of the problem lies not solely in the algorithms but in how we identify and utilise reliable information.
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Ayesha Jehangir, CMT Postdoctoral Fellow
