From generating interview questions and summarising lengthy reports to transcribing interviews, analysing datasets, translating content and producing multimedia, generative AI tools have become part of everyday newsroom work across the world.
For African newsrooms operating under increasing financial pressure, shrinking editorial teams and rising audience demands, the appeal is obvious. AI promises to help journalists work faster, automate repetitive tasks and reach audiences across multiple digital platforms.
As adoption accelerates, one question is becoming increasingly urgent: Are journalists receiving the training and guidance needed to use these tools responsibly? Across the media industry, experts agree that AI should support journalism, not replace the judgement, verification and accountability that remain central to the profession.
UNESCO has described generative AI as one of the most significant technological shifts affecting information ecosystems, while warning that its use in journalism must be accompanied by transparency, editorial oversight and strong ethical safeguards. Similar concerns have been raised by organisations including the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the European Federation of Journalists, all of which have urged news organisations to develop clear policies governing AI use.
Those concerns are becoming increasingly relevant across African newsrooms as AI tools are now widely available. Many journalists are teaching themselves how to use them, often without formal guidance on verification, bias, copyright, confidentiality or responsible prompting.
Referencing findings from a Safer-Media Initiative (SMI) survey presented by the organisation’s Executive Director, Peter Iorter, at a workshop in Lagos, multimedia journalist and AI trainer Titilope Fadare-Oparinde noted that 95% of Nigerian journalists use AI tools at least once a week, while only 10% have received structured AI training from their newsrooms.
Similarly, African Women in Media’s (AWiM) study found that AI adoption across African newsrooms is largely driven by individual journalists rather than organisational strategy. Women journalists reported teaching themselves how to use AI tools, often in the absence of formal AI policies, structured training, or newsroom leadership support. The study also found that many newsrooms lacked formal AI policies, leaving journalists to develop their own practices around verification, prompting and ethical oversight.
Beyond efficiency
The conversation around AI focuses a lot on productivity and speed. Journalists increasingly rely on AI to transcribe interviews, translate documents, summarise reports, brainstorm story angles and organise research. Used appropriately, these tools can reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and allow reporters to focus more on original reporting and investigative work.
However, newsroom experts caution that efficiency should never come at the expense of editorial integrity. Speaking on Her Media Diary, Fadare-Oparinde said one of the biggest misconceptions among journalists is the belief that AI either threatens journalism or can replace it.
“AI isn’t going to take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI might.”
She argues that the real challenge is not the technology itself but ensuring journalists understand both its capabilities and its limitations.
Together, these findings suggest the real challenge is no longer whether AI is being adopted, but whether African newsrooms have the governance, skills and policies to use it responsibly.
The risks behind the technology
As AI adoption grows, so do concerns about misinformation, algorithmic bias and overreliance on AI-generated content. One of the most widely discussed challenges is AI hallucination, when systems confidently generate false or misleading information that appears credible.
For journalism, where accuracy remains paramount, experts say this makes human verification more important than ever.
“No matter what an AI tool gives you, always check the output,” Fadare-Oparinde said. “Don’t just copy and paste it into your story.”
Editorial organisations around the world echo this position. Most AI policies developed by leading newsrooms require journalists to independently verify AI-generated material before publication and prohibit AI from replacing editorial judgement.
Whose knowledge shapes AI?
Many AI systems continue to perform less effectively in African contexts because African languages, cultures and knowledge remain underrepresented in the data used to train them. As a result, they fail to accurately reflect African contexts.
Fadare-Oparinde noted how AI image generators frequently produce images of white scientists when users simply request “a scientist.”
“If you’re illustrating a Nigerian story, don’t stop at saying ‘a scientist’. Specify that it’s a Black scientist or describe the Nigerian context.”
Beyond prompting, broader initiatives are emerging to address structural bias in AI systems including Africa No Filter’s AI Bias Buster initiative, which seeks to improve African representation in AI-generated content and reduce stereotypical portrayals of the continent.
Women must shape AI’s future
Women remain underrepresented in technology leadership, AI development and newsroom decision-making, raising concerns that their perspectives may be overlooked as organisations develop AI strategies and policies.
AWiM’s research found that women journalists are adopting AI without corresponding opportunities to influence newsroom policies or organisational AI strategies. Against this backdrop, Fadare-Oparinde argued that women journalists should not simply become users of AI tools but active participants in shaping newsroom governance frameworks and innovation strategies.
Her call reflects a growing recognition that responsible AI should ensure diverse voices influence how these technologies are designed, implemented and regulated.
Building AI-ready newsrooms
The challenge for African media is not whether to adopt AI, but how to do so in ways that strengthen journalism. This will require investment in digital skills, newsroom policies, ethical guidance and ongoing professional development to ensure journalists can harness AI while maintaining the standards of accuracy, accountability and public trust on which journalism depends.
For African newsrooms, the challenge now is ensuring that journalists have the skills, policies and editorial safeguards needed to use it in ways that strengthen public-interest journalism.
