UAE is among the top in the Arab world to adopt journalistic talents

Mohammed Ibrahim, Staff Reporter

The results of the first edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Journalism Index (GAIJI) 2023, prepared by the Artificial Intelligence Journalism Research and Foresight Foundation (AIJRF), revealed that the UAE is among the first in the Arab world to embrace the talents of journalists and reporters who are able to use artificial intelligence journalism techniques.

The Global Index of Artificial Intelligence Journalism identified the most prominent applications of artificial intelligence used in Arab media institutions, as data analysis applications topped with a rate of 90.7%, followed by “social media algorithms” in second place with a rate of 89%, then search engines for content analysis with a rate of 88.3%, and writing technology.

News and spelling correction at 86%, augmented reality technology at 85%, digital marketing bots at 84.7%, news bots at 72.3%, and finally news and media spaces within the metaverse at 12%.

Arab media

With regard to Arab media, Al Arabiya channel came as the first Arab experiment that used many tools and applications of artificial intelligence in the content industry, followed by the Qatari Al-Jazeera Foundation, then Al Sharq Bloomberg, then Sky News Arabia, the “Blinx” Foundation, the Abu Dhabi Media Corporation, and then the Dubai Corporation. For the media, the Artificial Intelligence Journalism Research and Foresight Foundation (AIJRF) excelled in the metaverse media axis, and the media content industry in the world of metaverse.

The results of the index revealed that most of the applications of artificial intelligence used in the news industry are developed in the Americas (43.01%) and Europe (39.78%).

The results of the index were similar to previous studies on other technological developments in the news media ecosystem. For example, the use of big data analysis in journalism was first developed in the United States and European countries such as the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries.

Systematic plan

In his intervention with Al-Khaleej, Dr. Muhammad Abdel-Zaher, CEO of the AIJRF Corporation and head of the Global Index (GAIJI), revealed that the preparation of the second version of the index will begin next December and the announcement of the preliminary results, stressing that there is a systematic plan to increase the number of the countries participating in the index, as well as the diversity of media organizations and those that work in creating content in all its forms, based on artificial intelligence techniques.

He stated that the index, in its first edition, took two full years of work, as more than 60 international and Arab media organizations were studied, using various methods, including general questionnaires and personal and telephone interviews, to ensure the validity of the information and the applications in force within the media institutions of the study sample.

Research centers

He added that more than 120 institutions have been contacted in various Arab countries, and the results came out expressing 60 different media institutions, including news and entertainment institutions, and research centers working to develop various tools and technologies in the field of artificial intelligence journalism.

He said that the current results depend on the number of samples that have already participated in the survey from within those institutions, which reached 60 samples and included journalists, content makers, developers, pioneers of social media and others, adding that there are some institutions that have distinguished experiences in the use of intelligence tools and applications. However, the reluctance of those institutions to participate in the index prevented them from publishing any information or data regarding what they have in this field. Some journalists affiliated with certain departments within the press institutions also participated, and there are other departments that have new experiences but did not participate.

Cursor design

He explained that the global index of artificial intelligence journalism was designed to measure and track the performance of media institutions that use artificial intelligence techniques to produce, manage, publish and promote content, as the general results of the index display the best tools and techniques of artificial intelligence that are relied upon by the media, the study sample, whether it is to collect content or proofread.

He stressed that the applications of artificial intelligence journalism used in the Middle East and North Africa region have contributed significantly to improving the quality of communication with the audience, increasing interaction by 70% compared to traditional methods, as well as recognising the content and improving its quality, presenting everything of interest to the target audience, and achieving the maximum possible benefit to them.

Many ways

The Global Artificial Intelligence Journalism Index relies on several methods and tools for data collection, including monitoring and analyzing data and information, designing open opinion polls, personal interviews with experts, and personal interviews with journalists in the targeted media companies. Some preliminary indicators have already been announced at the Global Forum on Artificial Intelligence Journalism in May 2023.