European media put to test by Artificial Intelligence

Vatican News

Public service media are called to play an increasingly important role in defending the democratic system in a period characterized by strong polarization both in  politics and society. This was the message launched from Limassol, in the south of Cyprus, which, yesterday and toda,  hosted the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (Ebu), the association that brings together Europe's public radio and television stations.

Among those attending the gathering was also Vatican Radio which was represented by Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editorial director of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication.

The assembly, opened by the President of the Cypriot Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, focused on the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of information and on the journalist profession and communication operators.

The general director of Ebu, Noel Curran, underscored the need to be updated on technological transformation processes. He therefore observed that, while on the one hand, we need to benefit from this new technology, at the same time it is urgent to safeguard the values ​​of information starting from the search for truth which can be dangerously threatened by a misuse of Artificial Intelligence.

During the European media summit, a report on the credibility of journalism in the time of AI was presented.

The document reiterates that information has the irreplaceable task of telling the facts and stories of people and communities. Algorithms, which dictate the timing and methods of new technologies, are based exclusively on the calculation of probabilities.

Participants also discussed the issue of privacy and databases which, today more than ever, can represent a risk to people's freedom if their correct and regulated use is not guaranteed.

The former President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, also spoke at the Limassol event, discussing with the participants the challenges posed to public service media by the emergence of populist political groups in the recent European elections.

The assembly confirmed Delphine Ernotte, head of France Télévisions since 2015, as president for another two-year term. The next EBU plenary will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in December 2024.