Tomi Fischerille 4 500 euroa opintoapurahaa

To address increasing digital demands and support journalist productivity, Finnish media companies like Viestimedia are introducing AI tools and assistants to their journalists. These tools assist journalists by automating routine tasks, allowing them to focus on more complex, investigative work. However, it is still unclear how AI may affect journalism’s ethical standards, transparency, and editorial decision-making. 

Through a mixed-methods approach, we will investigate Viestimedia’s AI assistant Renki’s effects on productivity, content quality, and journalist satisfaction. We will be approaching other Finnish media organizations as well to interview journalists and get a better idea of how AI is affecting journalist’s workflows and the ethical implications of this change. 

The main research questions we will answer are: 

1. How does the use of AI affect journalists’ workflows?
2. What ethical considerations must be made with the integration of AI into journalistic practices?

Some sub-questions to be considered include: 

• What governance frameworks exist for AI implementation in media organizations? 
• How can media organizations maintain integrity and public trust while innovating with AI technologies? 
• How does AI affect collaboration between journalists and other stakeholders (e.g., data scientists, tech developers)?