African media facing the challenges of new technologies and climate change

The 15th General Assembly of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), taking place in Gaborone, Botswana, under the theme, “The future of African media facing the challenges of new technologies and climate change,” has discussed the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the future of the broadcast industry and how African broadcasters can strengthen cooperation on climate-related topics

Stanislas Kambashi, SJ – Gaborone

“Artificial Intelligence is redefining the way we create, edit and distribute our content. Once confined to research laboratories, it is now a tangible reality and presents itself as a full-fledged collaborator that impacts the work in our newsrooms,” says the AUB in its presentation to the General Assembly.

AI solutions for African broadcasters

The AUB General Assembly has brought together Chief Executives of the media and broadcasting industry, officials, experts, academics, content creators from across the African continent, and representatives of sister Unions and partners.

Under discussion are topics such as the Resilience of African media in the face of climate change, Media advocacy for citizen engagement in climate action, AI solutions for optimising content production processes, AI solutions in data collection for audience measurement, and optimising content exchange in information and programme development.”

Telling the Authentic African Story

The official AUB opening took place on Tuesday, 3 September. Botswana’s Vice President, Slumber Tsogwane, presided over the official ceremony as guest of honour. He was accompanied to the event by members of the government and several parliamentarians.

In his speech, the Vice President called for vigilance in the face of opportunities and challenges brought about by the advent of Artificial Intelligence. He urged the AUB to strive for authentic African media representation. Technology, he said, must always be at the service of humanity.

The Vice President further called for the use of collaborative media platforms that would enable the AUB to tell the authentic African story, unencumbered by the prejudices that weigh on this continent.

For his part, the AUB President Cleophas Barore of Rwanda, noted that any technology has always aroused fear in human beings. Africa, he underlined, has always adapted, and this time around, the continent is ready to adapt as it has always done.

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