Experts at the 15th General Assembly of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) identified new technologies and climate change as the continent’s biggest challenges. The event, which was held in Gaborone, Botswana, also discussed the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the industry’s future, alongside how African broadcasters can strengthen cooperation on climate-related topics.
During its presentation to the General Assembly, the AUB remarks, “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.”
Telling Authentic African Stories with AI
AUB Vice President remarked that attendees must remain vigilant in the wake of the potential opportunities and threats linked to AI technologies. While urging the body to strive to represent African media with authentic stories, the Vice President emphasized that “technology must always be at the service of humanity.”
Meanwhile, AUB President Cleophas Barore observed that humans have always expressed some phobia of technology. However, Barore remarked that Africa has always adapted to technological changes and is ready to adapt as usual to emerging technological solutions.
Topics addressed during the conference include the Resilience of African media in the face of climate change, Media advocacy for citizen engagement in climate action, AI solutions for optimizing content production processes, AI solutions in data collection for audience measurement, and optimizing content exchange in information and program development.
The event, which was held under the theme, “The future of African media facing the challenges of new technologies and climate change,” brought together the Who’s Who in the region’s broadcasting industry. Officials, experts, academics, content creators, and Chief Executive Officers across the African continent, alongside representatives of sister Unions and partners, attended the event from September 3 to 5, 2024.
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