AI, journalism and society at this moment in history

When we staged the first-ever Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit last week in Baltimore, I wanted to make sure we were mindful of the wider context for our work at this moment in human society.

The following are my opening comments (as drafted) as we kicked off the Summit:

Thank you everyone for joining us at this inaugural AI x Journalism Summit. In 2009, I gathered a few dozen journalists and technologists at a San Francisco bar to help build stronger collaboration between industries at the first-ever Hacks/Hackers event. Hacks/Hackers has evolved since then as technology has evolved. We started with exploring how journalism could benefit by applying the tech startup mindset. We navigated the challenges of social media — both its power to democratize information, and potential to accelerate misinformation.

Now we face another transformative technology moment with artificial intelligence. This shift comes at a precarious time. Before starting Hacks/Hackers, I spent a decade as a journalist with The Associated Press, reporting on some of the world's most repressive regimes like North Korea, Russia, Uzbekistan and former Soviet Central Asia. I witnessed how authoritarian governments control information — where no one believes what they see in state-run media and rumors run rampant. Today, we are seeing a similar playbook here at home. My former employer, The AP, is being prevented from doing its job covering the White House because it rightfully refuses to abandon its principles. The United States just fell to No. 57 on Reporters Without Borders' index of press freedom, below Liberia, Romania and Sierra Leone.

We face these two, massive converging challenges: democratic institutions under attack alongside an AI revolution that will reshape the information ecosystem and economy. Both of these waves are moving incredibly fast, demanding we also act urgently. AI could enable unprecedented surveillance and authoritarian control of society. It also has tremendous potential to strengthen democracy by improving transparency, giving people personalized information to live better lives and to connect with others to work together on improving society. That's the challenge and opportunity before us at this summit, where we will talk about reporting on AI, building with AI or leveraging AI for journalism over the next two days. As we navigate the potential emergence of super-intelligent AI in as soon as a couple years, our work — the stories we tell and products we build — will determine whether AI amplifies democracy or undermines it.