The Need for AI Literacy in News
Many people in the field of journalism have been trying to speculate whether or not AI will “take” their job. I don’t think so. I believe that AI-generated images will have their place in the news media but they’ll serve a different purpose than the traditional images captured by camera. Recently there were AI generated images that went viral in the wake of Hurricane Helene and the response was varied after those who reposted the images learned of their origin. Some chose to keep the images on their page, citing that it was indicative of how they felt. That although the subject matter of the image was fabricated, the emotions it conveyed were an accurate representation of what they were feeling. While the proliferation of AI images is still ethically a bit messy, I don’t think that it is too far out of the ordinary clumsiness that comes along with every new technology. It’s a powerful new technology that needs to be understood or it could have dangerous repercussions. Hence the need for AI Literacy. AI Literacy is the ability to understand and access the tools needed to decipher the origin, intent and ramifications of all media generated by artificial intelligence. It is AI Literacy that is needed to ensure that artificial images don’t spread unchecked. The origin, who created it? The intent, for what purpose are they creating/sharing this image? And finally the ramifications? Knowing the creator and their intentions, what are the possible consequences of this image circulating the public sphere? Transparency is vital but not always the case. AI Literacy will ensure the public has the ability to take these generated images for what they are and keep them separate from traditional photography’s own sphere of truth.