What if AI’s biggest impact on journalism isn’t replacing journalists, but forcing us to rethink what journalism is for?
In this episode, Joanne Kuai speaks with Seth C. Lewis, Rodrigo Zamith, and Tomás Dodds, authors of Journalism in the Age of AI: From Acceleration to Reimagination (Polity, 2027).
For decades, journalism has been caught on a “hamster wheel” of
acceleration: producing more stories, for more platforms, with fewer
resources. AI promises even greater efficiency, but is doing more with
less really what journalism needs?
Lewis, Zamith, and Dodds argue
that the current AI moment offers something more consequential: an
opportunity to reimagine journalism itself. The conversation explores
what remains distinctly human about journalism when machines can
increasingly perform creative and cognitive tasks; how dependence on AI
companies and digital infrastructure is reshaping media power; what AI
means for journalism education and human judgement; and whether
journalism can harness these technologies in ways that strengthen,
rather than erode, its democratic purpose.
The conversation also raises a more fundamental question: is preserving journalism as an institution the goal, or should we rethink how society meets its information needs altogether?
Journalism in the Age of AI is available open access. Learn more and access the book here.
About the authors
Seth C. Lewis is the
inaugural Elcan Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished Professor of
Artificial Intelligence and Media Studies at the University of
Virginia. Previously, he was the founding holder of the Shirley Papé
Chair in Emerging Media and Director of Journalism at the University of
Oregon. In his research, Lewis examines the social implications of
emerging technologies and their consequences for news and public life.
Rodrigo Zamith is an
Associate Professor and former Chair of the Journalism Department at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research and teaching
interests lie at the intersection of journalism and technology, with a
focus on understanding the social implications of emerging technologies
for how news is produced, distributed, and consumed. He is a recipient
of UMass’ Distinguished Teaching Award.
Tomás Dodds is an Assistant Professor in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Director of its Public Tech Media Lab.
His research examines the evolving relationship between journalism and
technology, with a focus on how journalists and media organizations can
develop open-source tools and artificial intelligence systems that serve
the public interest.
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