Fuad Huseynaliyev: AI development does not diminish the need for professional journalism

The work of journalists in providing accurate and verified information remains essential to society despite the rapid development of social media and artificial intelligence, the Director of Report News Agency Fuad Huseynaliyev said while speaking to students at the Muhammad al-Khwarizmi Tashkent University of Information Technologies (TUIT).

Report's correspondent in Tashkent quotes him as saying that digital technologies have significantly changed the work of journalists.

"In my professional career, I experienced the period when we wrote everything by hand, then cassette recorders appeared, and after events we had to spend hours transcribing recordings. Today, correspondents can do this in a minute thanks to artificial intelligence," he noted.

Huseynaliyev stressed that one of the most pressing issues facing the modern media community is the distinction between journalists, bloggers and influencers.

"Can a blogger be considered a journalist? Can a journalist be a blogger? These questions concern our professional community today and, I believe, should be discussed by society as a whole," he said.

According to him, some bloggers and influencers have more followers on social media than major media organizations, but the information they disseminate is not always reliable.

"Bloggers should understand their responsibility to society for the information they publish. People trust them and follow them," Report's director said.

He also stressed that traditional media are adapting to changes in the media environment by actively developing social media, video content and other digital formats.

"At the same time, we verify every piece of information. We trust our sources and understand what information we can publish and how well it is confirmed. We are responsible for it to society," Huseynaliyev said.

According to him, professional journalism is particularly important amid the spread of misinformation that can influence social processes.

As an example of how information can affect social processes, he cited events in the Middle East 10–15 years ago that became known as the "Arab Spring."

"Many events and sentiments were spread through news and various information resources. Some of the information was subsequently not confirmed, but it was used to destabilize the situation in certain countries. To prevent such processes in a timely manner, the work of journalists and traditional media must remain clear and professional. Most importantly, society must trust verified sources of information: television channels, news agencies and news portals," he noted.