Multi-media companies in Bahrain looking to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their technology should do so alongside its workers to achieve the best possible results, a Chinese broadcasting chief recommended.
Guizhou Radio and Television Station deputy director-general Liu Jingyuan recently met journalists from more than 20 countries, including Bahrain, at the station in Guiyang on July 6.
The exchange session was held as part of a seminar on media co-operation, organised by the International Department Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC).
Mr Jingyuan spoke to the GDN in Guiyang city following the session, where he complimented Bahrain’s desire to adopt the latest technologies and said that it needs to be done in conjunction with professionals from across the country.
“AI replacing people’s jobs, especially in the media industry, is impossible,” he believes. “As much as we use AI in China, it has restrictions, ones that cannot be overcome without human intervention.
“Its ability is only as good as its programming and what it is taught to do, and it can only be taught by other people, especially those who have experience in the field.
“This is especially true in Bahrain, where the people themselves have to tailor the AI to suit the country’s media environment and requirements.
“Bahrain’s desire to adopt the latest in technological advances wherever possible, including AI, is admirable, and I have no doubt it will be used to enhance jobs rather than replace them.”
Guizhou Radio and Television Station is Guizhou province’s largest comprehensive broadcasting organisation, operating around 10 television and five radio channels, news websites, mobile applications, and other media services for around 12 million households.
The most popular channels include its flagship, Guizhou Satellite TV, alongside the Public Channel which covers public affairs, social issues and local news, the Film and Arts Channel, Lifestyle Channel and the Ecology and Rural Channel.
The operation has invested heavily in modern broadcasting technologies, including an AI-assisted newsroom, smart creation spaces, AI video editing softwares and human-AI collaborative content production.
Its outlets cover provincial news, current affairs, documentaries, cultural programming, sports, tourism and more.
The station has won multiple China News Awards, most recently first prize for a special programme titled People’s Road for the People last month, which highlights how roads, bridges and transportation projects connect remote communities, support local economies, as well as improve access to education and healthcare.
As part of the exchange programme, journalists were given a tour at the station. Mr Jingyuan made it clear that while technology offered ‘a lending hand’, it was the people who were the heart and soul of the operation. “AI only works because of the people who use it,” he told the GDN. “It is just a tool to help enhance people’s creativity, passion and vision.
“At the same time, it does not necessarily need to be applied in everything and common sense needs to be used. For example, why would I ask an AI to convert a word document to PDF, when I can just click on ‘save as PDF’, saving me time to perform other tasks?
“It can be used as a good tool to collect information, write documents and so on, but you can get a much better result if you learn how to utilise your workers and technology together.”
Mr Jingyuan added that AI training had become a necessity in recent years, because those who do not know how to use the technology, might end up getting left behind.
“In the industrial revolution, workers who did not adapt to new factory technology were left behind, while those who learned it, thrived,” he said. “We’re facing a similar situation now. While AI can never truly replace humans, we could potentially reach a point where people have to learn to work alongside it.
“This can be done through personnel training and courses, but we all need to learn how to use it, not just because it can make our jobs easier, but also because technology only moves forward.”
The GDN reported in February last year that 15 special television segments, produced by using artificial intelligence (AI) were broadcast for the first time on Bahrain TV and other government media platforms during Ramadan.
The innovative approach by the Information Affairs Ministry aimed to blend tradition with modern technology.
Bahrain has recognised the importance of AI in streamlining processes and informing strategic decision-making of businesses across all industries, taking steps in the study and its application in a range of fields.
This includes using AI to detect changes and construction violations using satellite imagery, developing AI-powered chatbots, automatic monitoring of all palm trees, initiatives in education and training, including AI degree programmes in universities and vocational institutions, university AI labs, and Hackathons, which offer youth opportunities to gain knowledge.
A survey conducted between August and November 2024 covered a sample of 1,004 UK journalists who were asked about the use of AI in their newsrooms.
It was found that more than half (56 per cent) of UK journalists use AI professionally at least once a week, another 27pc use it less frequently, and only 16pc have never used it for journalistic tasks.
UK journalists most frequently use AI for language-processing tasks, specifically ‘transcription/captioning’ (49pc of UK journalists use AI for this task at least monthly), ‘translation’ (33pc), and ‘grammar checking/copy-editing’ (30pc).
More than half of UK journalists were ‘extremely concerned’ about the potential negative impact of AI on public trust in journalism (60pc), on the value of accuracy (57pc) and on the originality of journalistic content (54pc). They are less concerned about the inadvertent exposure of personal data (25pc).
The survey was conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study supported by LMU Munich, Germany, and City St George’s, University of London.
At the GDN, journalists use AI for grammar checking and video production elements but all material has to be checked and approved by a senior editor before posting online and on social media, or publication in print.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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