BU students fast forward into the future of news broadcasting

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate news content, Bournemouth University (BU) students studying for a Masters in Multimedia Journalism (MAMMJ) were able to create what the future of news broadcasting might look and sound like.

MAMMJ is one of the first UK journalism courses to incorporate AI into its curriculum, introducing it in January 2023, shortly after ChatGPT's launch in November 2022.

Over 300 students from the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU worked all night together to produce, report, analyse results, interview and present during the US presidential election. AI avatars, generated music and artwork were some of the futuristic tools used to deliver the coverage to audiences on online platforms.

The exercise, named 'Project L', incorporated AI tools to allow students to experiment with new ways of presenting news. Project Lead, Chindu Sreedharan, Professor of Journalism and Innovation said: "Our Multimedia Journalism students took it one step further and incorporated AI tools including AI avatars that presented the election news. Using digital avatars is about testing new possibilities and exploring how they might connect with different audience segments, especially younger audiences accustomed to playful, digital-first content."

As well as avatars, AI generated music was created by the students and used during key political moments in the run-up to the election results, including Donald Trump's victory speech and Kamala Harris' concession. MAMMJ student Thanh Hung Nguyen said: "It was so much different from everything we have done before. Music composition in politics? I had never thought AI could be used like this ever! I will take AI into the future as a colleague with whom I can brainstorm and come up with new ideas."

Nichola Hunter-Warburton, another MAMMJ student who worked to produce AI art and music on the team said: "This project made me think about journalism differently. It's exciting and a bit daunting to think how AI could complement human creativity in the future. But I think it's clear that the human element will always matter most."

A study by the Associated Press highlighted that 73% of newsroom professionals are now exploring AI to streamline workflows and enhance content production. Professor Sreedharan said: "AI opens up production opportunities. With a good script, you can create compelling content anywhere, without needing a studio at a fraction of the cost and effort of traditional methods. While this is undoubtedly disruptive, it offers the chance to free up resources for better journalism, and more creative storytelling."

'Project L' comes at a time when AI usage in journalism is being widely debated. Professor Sreedharan said: "There are still concerns over the accuracy, bias, and ethical usage of AI, particularly in balancing human oversight with AI's growing influence."

For a full overview of 'Project L's' experiments and outputs, please visit the BU website.

For further information about our MA Multimedia Journalism course, please visit the BU website.