Invest in digital literacy to remain competitive, media urged amid AI rise

As Africa’s media landscape evolves and artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as both a powerful tool and a disruptive force, industry leaders call for increased digital literacy and training to remain competitive.

At a Tuesday roundtable hosted by the Africa Media Festival and Baraza Media Lab, stakeholders explored AI’s potential to enhance journalism, optimise content creation, and streamline media operations while maintaining ethical standards and regulatory compliance.

“AI is too perfect—where do we draw the line? As African journalists, we cannot remain passive; we must actively participate in shaping AI’s role,” said Maurice Otieno, Executive Director at Baraza Media Lab.

“Reuters research shows that 50% of global media organisations use AI tools. We must protect creative and editorial autonomy while adopting AI responsibly through better regulation and training.”

While participants acknowledged AI’s role in journalism is inevitable, they pointed out the need for caution to safeguard journalistic integrity.

Mukui Mbindyo, the head of partnerships at Africa Digital Media Group, noted, “Creativity and human intuition remain crucial, even in an AI-driven media world. Africa lags in AI adoption due to limited exposure, making us consumers rather than creators. Addressing this gap is essential to remain competitive.”

They urged deeper industry collaboration, policy recommendations, and strategic AI integration in media houses.

“AI is not replacing journalists; rather, those who understand AI will replace those who do not. The Media Council of Kenya is actively training journalists to combat misinformation and developing ethical AI guidelines,” said Karanja Jackson, regional coordinator for the Media Council of Kenya.

He called for regulatory measures to ensure AI-generated content maintains accuracy and accountability.

Similarly, participants noted that AI should complement rather than replace human creativity, fact-checking, and editorial oversight.

“Education must adapt to AI’s rise, especially in multimedia journalism. It has become easier to detect AI-generated content, but the key question remains: how do we work smartly with AI rather than fear it?” Keziah Githinji a lecturer in broadcast multimedia journalism at USIU-Africa added.

According to recent studies, over 50 per cent of global media organisations have adopted AI tools for content generation, curation, and distribution.

In Africa, the uptake has been slower due to limited access to technology, inadequate training, and regulatory concerns.

However, several media houses have begun integrating AI for newsroom automation, audience analytics, and fact-checking.