Introduction: Journalism, like other social and technical phenomena, has always been influenced by technological advances, and in the history of journalism, innovative technologies have guided the production and dissemination of content and the consumption patterns of audiences. The invention of printing is considered the greatest event in the history of journalism and the great revolution of journalism. Along with it, the technical use of computers and the publication of newspapers on the Internet and the emergence of digital newspapers have transformed journalism and marked the second greatest revolution in the history of journalism. The digital world is advancing rapidly. Undoubtedly, with the emergence and development of algorithms based on artificial intelligence, we should soon expect the third great revolution in journalism and enter the era of journalism based on artificial intelligence. The dominance of artificial intelligence over journalism seems inevitable, and this will bring positive and negative consequences, opportunities and challenges for journalism. Therefore, identifying the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence over journalism is essential to face and better utilize this technological possibility. For this purpose, in this study, we have examined the opportunities and challenges of journalism based on artificial intelligence from the perspective of Iranian journalists specializing in the field of information and communication technology.
Research objective: To identify the opportunities and challenges of journalism based on artificial intelligence from the perspective of Iranian journalists specializing in the field of information and communication technology.
Research methodology: This research was conducted using a qualitative method of thematic analysis. In this qualitative research, we collected data using interviews, so that 10 journalists in the field of information and communication technology were interviewed, after which theoretical saturation was achieved and there was no need to interview more people. The interviewees were selected purposefully because they were more familiar with the subject of artificial intelligence than journalists specialized in other fields due to their relevant education and interest in the field of technology and information and communication technology. After conducting the interview, explanations and sentences that somehow indicated the positive consequences, opportunities, negative consequences, and challenges of the use of artificial intelligence in journalism were extracted. Then, the initial themes were fragmented based on the common and frequently repeated semantic phrase with the highest frequency of coding identification, and basic themes were obtained. Then, by combining, refining, and organizing those organizing themes, organizing themes were formed. Finally, by combining and refining the organizing themes, comprehensive themes that contain the principles governing the text were obtained, and the result is presented in the form of a table of themes.
Results: According to the journalists participating in this study, although news content can be produced using artificial intelligence tools, its output will not have the necessary quality compared to content produced with human intelligence and creativity. The widespread use of artificial intelligence in various parts of the newsroom will weaken the position of journalists. Although the use of artificial intelligence may have economic benefits for the media, the use of this tool is costly and technically complex, so it may not be possible for some media to use it. These challenges weaken the position and some of the functions of the media and journalists. Also, the use of artificial intelligence can strengthen media monopolization or these algorithms can be used to produce and publish biased content, which are two negative consequences of the effects of the misuse of artificial intelligence in the production and publication of news content. The development of artificial intelligence technology will bring about a digital revolution that affects all human activities. Consequently, the use of artificial intelligence technology to improve performance and attract audiences and generate revenue by media organizations is inevitable. However, it should be considered that at least in the near future, artificial intelligence tools are not going to completely replace journalists and reporters.