We have been training newsrooms in Kenya
I recently conducted two AI workshops for The Nation Media Group and Royal Media Services in Kenya with the incredible Camilla Bath. Special thanks to The U.S. Agency for Global Media for hosting us. I was there to teach, but I learnt a great deal. Here are my top 3 takeaways:
There is a concern that if media houses disclose that they are using AI then their content will be associated with being “fake”. Already “AI” has become interchangeable with “untrue” in the culture and though we want the media to be transparent with how they are using AI, it is reasonable to worry about how audiences will take it.
There is a huge need to use AI for African language translation and to collaborate as much as possible to make these models a reality.
The phenomenon of cloned voices, particularly in the context of the recent protests in Kenya, needs to be kept in check. And the best way to do this is to educate audiences with how far this tech has come and how it is being used to trick people. Plus, families are adopting “safe words” to use in emergencies and if you don’t hear that word then you should assume that the voice note you receive is synthetic.
