Iqbal Surve takes an interview with Xinhua in Cape Town, South Africa, Sept. 27, 2024. Transformative artificial intelligence (AI) will change journalism positively, said Iqbal Surve, chairman of Independent Media, a leading South African multi-platform content company. (Xinhua/Wang Lei)

by Xinhua writer Wang Lei

CAPE TOWN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Transformative artificial intelligence (AI) will change journalism positively, said Iqbal Surve, chairman of Independent Media, a leading South African multi-platform content company.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Surve articulated his belief that the integration of AI into journalism will lead to significant advancements.

AI can process, package and present content faster, which will free journalists from mundane tasks and allow them to focus on uncovering "the story behind the story," he said.

In that context, journalists will not be able to perform the same tasks in the past, said Surve, noting that the biggest challenge AI poses to the media industry is the need to embrace new methods of working and journalism's evolving roles.

The future of journalism, the veteran media leader argued, will focus on "detailed investigative journalism, the story behind the story" -- an area that AI cannot easily tread.

Surve likened the relationship between AI and media content to that of an architect and a building. While AI can construct a basic structure, details within -- such as investigations and the humanity of stories -- require human input. AI alone cannot capture the full depth and nuance of storytelling, he said.

AI also presents immense opportunities for creating specialized content, Surve said. "With AI, we can produce smarter content tailored to specific audiences, and we no longer have to provide general content to everybody ... That is a huge technological leap for journalism," he said.

Surve also highlighted AI's profound influence across various industries. "For the first time, we have the ability to process large amounts of information, identify patterns in that information, and then predict very important outcomes," he said.

In that sense, AI will significantly impact every aspect of human life, as "information can predict outcomes with greater accuracy," he added.

"I think we can compare this era, in terms of technological advancement, to the founding of the internet. So, it is as pivotal a moment for humanity's technological and sociological future," said Surve.