Watch the Recordings AI for Public Media: A Practical Guide

Public media is facing a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to become a game-changer, offering exciting opportunities to enhance content creation, streamline operations, and improve audience engagement.

This 4-part series, "AI for Public Media: A Practical Guide" dives deep into the world of AI for journalists. We'll demystify the terminology, explore real-world applications, and discuss the ethical considerations for responsible AI integration. Whether you're a seasoned news veteran or just starting out, this series will equip you with the knowledge and tools to leverage AI's power for impactful public service journalism.

Part 1: Demystifying AI: Building a Foundation for Responsible Use 

From Google Translate to Apple’s Siri, artificial intelligence has been part of our daily lives for more than a decade. But, everything changed, when the generative AI app, ChatGPT, was released in 2022; machines started doing human-like things like having conversations, creating art, writing poems and solving complex issues. In this session, our panelists go beyond the fear of robots taking over the world and explore what AI is and the ways it can be used responsibly in the newsroom.

Moderator: Araceli Gómez-Aldana, WBEZ 

Presenters:

Bobby Allyn, technology correspondent, NPR

Nick Toso, CEO, Rolli

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Part 2: AI in Action: Empowering Production

A windy day or an HVAC often meant unusable audio back in the studio. But now, AI is giving bad tape a second life. Machines are learning the human voice and can isolate it in ways simple noise filters can’t. In this session, we step up your production with improved audio tools, going beyond waveform editing and new ways to incorporate voices when you don’t have taped interviews.

Moderator: Zac Ziegler, Arizona Public Media 

Presenters:

Bob Caniglia, Director of Sales Operations, Blackmagic Design

Nick Dunkerley, Creative Director, Hindenburg

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Part 3: AI to Streamline Journalism Workflows

As newsrooms cut staff, sitting through city and county government meetings can become a time suck and many stations may not have the resources to attend. But what if you could have a robot keep an eye on local politics? New platforms are  summarizing important proceedings and digging through data to help journalists more efficiently sift through data and transcripts to pinpoint policies or patterns that could affect a community. Our panelists show you the tools to streamline your workflow and optimize resource allocation.

Moderator: Sáša Woodruff, Boise State Public Radio

Presenters:

Joe Amditis, Associate director of operations, Center for Cooperative Media

Dustin Dwyer, Reporter/Producer, Michigan Public

Brian Mackey, Host, "The 21st Show", Illinois Public Media

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Part 4: The Ethical Imperative: Developing Policies for AI in Public Media

You’ve started to explore using AI in your newsroom – but what about the ethical implications? The new tools bring with them plenty of questions – and we’re here to help. Join us for an hour to kickstart the process of thinking through your newsroom’s needs for guidance, parameters, pitfalls – and maybe the beginnings of an AI ethics policy.

Thursday October 10
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (EDT)

Moderator: Monica Sandreczki, North Country Public Radio

Presenters:

Darla Cameron, Interim Chief Product Officer, Texas Tribune

Lisa Palmer, Research Professor of Science Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs

Nikita Roy, Harvard-recognized AI futurist

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