The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is warning Pacific media organizations about the dangers of artificial intelligence in newsrooms.

It says AI is changing how news is produced and not always for the better.

Regional representative Heike Alefson told journalism students at the University of the South Pacific that while AI can improve efficiency and access to information, it also carries serious risks.

She warns it could be misused to distort facts, suppress real stories, or mislead the public

Alefson is calling for strict ethical guidelines to govern the use of AI in journalism.

“We’re grappling with the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and media freedom because we know that artificial intelligence must serve human rights and not undermine them. It must be used in a way that it is transparent, regulated in a transparent manner it must be accountable to the public, to authorities that regulate it.”

Journalism students are raising concerns about the pressure to break news quickly and the potential threat to accuracy in the digital age.

President of the Journalism Students Association, Riya Bhagwan, says young journalists understand the power they hold to shape narratives, especially in a time of rapid technological change.

“But the threat comes when we have social media and people trying to break the news first. And media houses are also running to break the news first. And in doing so, we have to ensure that we do not compromise accuracy and our professional standards.”

Fiji Media Association General Secretary, Stanley Simpson, warns that over-reliance on artificial intelligence could threaten the very foundation of journalism in the region.

Simpson says while AI may assist with some tasks, it cannot replace the human perspective, investigative depth, and truth-seeking role that define real journalism.

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