ISTANBUL

Media industry leaders gathered in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on journalism.

During a private session of the conference titled "Navigating AI and Media," the hosted by Anadolu and organized by the Association of the Balkan News Agencies – Southeast Europe (ABNA-SE), Anadolu's AI advisor, Remzi Duzagac, emphasized the transformative power of AI.

At the session, "Navigating the AI Frontier: AA's Strategic Path," Duzagac said AI was "changing and it is going to change our life fundamentally. We should embrace it."

He highlighted AI's potential to create interfaces that are more user-friendly and automatically generate content across languages.

Also speaking at the event, Anadolu's Technology & Innovation Director Yakup Sivka echoed this sentiment, noting that the media industry is "one of the biggest sectors that will be affected by AI in the future."

He outlined Anadolu's strategic goal to leverage AI for faster news production, improved content quality, and to generate revenue by marketing AI products to other media organizations.

In the second panel, "AI’s Potential Unveiled: Journeying into Tomorrow’s Horizons," the general manager of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Federation News Agency (FENA), Elmir Huremovic, compared AI to revolutionary innovations like "the fire, the wheel, the Internet," emphasizing the critical role it will have in shaping the future.

He also addressed the challenges AI poses to traditional media ownership and editorial control.

Branka-Gabriela Vojvodic, director general of the Croatian News Agency (HINA), raised concerns about the future of journalism, asking: "Will there be enough educated journalists and editors left who will teach young journalists what artificial intelligence will never be able to give them — critical thinking, a deep understanding of social processes, and a sense of empathy?"

She stressed the importance of AI remaining a tool under human control.

Anadolu, which holds the presidency of ABNA-SE for 2024, hosted the conference at the 32nd ABNA-SE General Assembly and Conference in Istanbul.

ABNA-SE delegation members organized the "Navigating AI and Media" conference, which was held with the attendance of Türkiye's Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, President and CEO of Anadolu Serdar Karagoz, and Secretary-General of ABNA-SE Kiril Valchev.