Africa-Press – Zambia. Zambia’s media industry has officially been put on notice: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic buzzword it’s here, embedded in newsrooms, shaping narratives, and threatening to bulldoze journalistic integrity if left unchecked.
At a tense pre-commemoration conference for World Press Freedom Day held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana didn’t sugarcoat his message. Delivered on his behalf by HR Director Bernard Domingo, his remarks were a direct call-out to media houses riding the AI wave without a compass.
“When misused, AI doesn’t just misinform it manipulates, surveils, and shreds the fabric of editorial independence,” Kawana warned. “This is not a tech experiment it’s a battle for the soul of journalism.”
In a media landscape already suffocating under political pressure, economic instability, and shrinking newsroom budgets, the arrival of AI is both a potential lifeline and a loaded gun. The risk? Newsrooms surrendering their credibility to algorithms that value clicks over truth, speed over depth, and data over conscience.
MISA Zambia Chairperson Lorraine Mwanza didn’t mince words either. “AI is not just a tool anymore it’s a weapon,” she said. “It can be used to streamline investigations, but without ethical boundaries, it will distort reality, erode public trust, and drown out independent journalism.”
Mwanza urged media institutions to stop dragging their feet and invest in ethical AI training, digital literacy, and capacity building. “The media cannot afford to be ignorant or arrogant about the risks. We are already seeing headlines rewritten by machines with zero regard for truth,” she added.
This year’s World Press Freedom Day, themed “Reporting in the Brave New World: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media”, comes at a time when many Zambian outlets are quietly integrating AI tools without public transparency or internal guidelines.
The message from the conference was clear: adapt with ethics or perish with irrelevance.
As AI continues to upend global information flows, Zambia’s media has a choice take control, set the standards, and lead responsibly. Or keep sleepwalking into a digital apocalypse where truth is optional, accountability is dead, and the press becomes a puppet of algorithms.
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