Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler founder Maria Ressa is to chair a group to help frame an ‘AI Charter in Media’.

Responding to the threats and opportunities of the accelerating development of artificial intelligence in the news media Reporters Without Borders and international partners including WAN-Ifra are launching the committee to draw up a charter to advise regulatory initiatives.

Some 21 academics and industry professionals from 13 countries have agreed to join the international committee, with results promised before the end of this year.

RSF will manage the initiative in partnership with leading NGOs defending journalism (FPU, EJN, CPJ, IPI, GFMD), media representative organisations for the press (WAN-Ifra) and TV (ABU, EBU), as well as investigative journalism consortia (ICIJ, OCCRP).

WAN-Ifra chief executive Vincent Peyrègne said, “faced with this major challenge”, it was important that the profession, both the representatives of editorial teams and media owners, acted in a concerted manner.

Members of the committee are: Maria Ressa, pictured, (journalist and founder of Rappler Media, Philippines); Charlie Beckett (professor at the department of media and communications at the London School of Economics, UK), Emily Bell (professor at the Columbia School of Journalism and director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, USA), Veysel Binbay (director of technology at the Asian Broadcasting Union, Malaysia), Lisa Campbell (director of communications at Independent Television Network, UK), Camille François (faculty, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, France), Jodie Ginsberg (president of the Committee to Protect Journalists, USA), Ruth Kronenburg (executive director of Free Press Unlimited, Netherlands), Gary Marcus (professor emeritus of psychology and neural science at New York University, author and entrepreneur, USA), Frane Maroevic (executive director of the International Press Institute, Austria), Mira Milosevic (executive director of the Global Forum for Media Development, Serbia), Tabani Moyo (convenor of IFEX, Regional Director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Zimbabwe), Bruno Patino (president of the Franco-German channel Arte, France), Paul Radu (co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Romania).

Plus Martha Ramos (president of the World Editors Forum at the World Association of News Publishers, Mexico), Gerard Ryle (director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Ireland), Stuart Russell (professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley and founder of the Center for Human-Compatible AI, USA), Eric Scherer (chair of the news committee at the European Broadcasting Union and director of news MediaLab and international affairs at France Télévisions, France), Anya Schiffrin (director of the specialisation in technology, media and communications at Columbia University, USA), Wairagala Wakabi (executive director of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa, Uganda), and Aidan White (founder of the Ethical Journalism Network and former secretary general of the International Federation of Journalists, UK).

RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire says AI systems present a crucial challenge for both journalism and media. “Unfortunately, there isn't enough encouragement for any single entity to utilise these tools ethically and judiciously. What we need is a collective global commitment, anchored in sound principles, to uphold the ethics of journalism and harness AI for preserving the right to information.

“We believe that the charter, to be drafted under the leadership of Maria Ressa and with the contribution of this committee composed of prominent figures, will become a strong international reference.”

Member organisations are Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Partners: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), International Press Institute (IPI), Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), World Association of News publishers (WAN-Ifra).