He might as well have asked about the new government, or about the Estonia ferry disaster investigation happening at the time. The Internet was one subject among several others, but it was also seen as a trend that only interested young people. So it was no wonder that this seasoned journalist asked such a naive question to a young woman.

Thirty years later, I'm being asked the same questions, by the same type of people. Only now, we're all talking about AI.

AI: A new dawn for communication?

Artificial intelligence, AI, is already influencing the media and communications industries, with no indication that this impact will wane. However, this does not imply the closure of newspaper companies or that communication departments will be withering away. Yet, without a profound understanding of the challenges, the probability of controlling the associated opportunities diminishes. I argue that AI represents a resurgence of the core principles of journalism and communication, and in this text, I will elaborate on why.

Here, I am grouping the media and communication industries. This is not out of carelessness but because the tools for journalists and communicators are, and will increasingly be, shared. Nevertheless, the mission and roles themselves remain distinct.

I possess a varied background with roles as a journalist, editor, non-fiction book writer, and communication professional. While I observe more similarities than differences among these professions, I also acknowledge the significance of their unique characteristics.

The new toy

In December 2022, when user-friendly generative AI tools like ChatGPT emerged, many communications folks—including myself—initially treated them as mere toys. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one goofing around, diving into these new tools just for fun. AI was mostly a frivolous diversion from “serious work.” Only faintly somewhere in the back of my mind, I began to think about how it might affect my job as a writer, editor and communications strategist.

The media and communications industries are accustomed to a constant influx of new digital tools. Our duty involves articulating and shepherding others through emerging trends via articles, TV features, workshops, conferences, etc. We engage in a dual process of trying to master these innovative tools to generate content, all the while guiding others.

“AI is just one more thing to learn,” thinks the aspiring journalist or communicator. Or we share the popular meme “AI will not replace you, but the person using AI will” with each other, knowing that, while AI may pose challenges to many jobs, media and communications will always demand the unique combination of a human brain and heart to attain genuine quality. Go ahead and learn those tools now! Stay ahead of the curve! A blend of tension and the desire to explore.

In the professional networks I am a part of, the predominant discourse revolves around learning how to use these new AI tools effectively, but finding the time is a challenge. Amid already demanding professional lives, AI has become an additional stressor. Sweden's Communicators Industry Association (Sveriges kommunikatörer), has organised networking breakfasts on themes like "AI—Is it dangerous or just hype?" and offers courses to empower communicators to navigate and utilise generative AI tools adeptly.

The dismissal and rehiring of Sam Altman made more people realise that OpenAI and their competitors are important players in our industry, but AI is still seen as more of a “tech” opportunity than a “future of communications” issue.

And conversations remain primarily tactical. We find ourselves faced with a novel tool but are not discussing how best to navigate the future of our industry with it or how it will affect the world.

Outsmarted by the new sheriff

Throughout all my years working in the communications and media industry with access to news from all over the internet, a steadfast belief has kept me grounded: the notion that an editor is an indispensable presence. We require someone adept at curating the gems in the news feed, someone who possesses knowledge, and the ability to present it all coherently and appealingly. The editor has been my hero, my lifebuoy, my craft.

However, a new editor is in town, and it's not me. It is not even human.

This new editor's arrival is like the introduction of a fresh student at primary school—someone just as charming and intelligent as you, capable of doing nearly the same things as you, but a tad faster and more efficiently. Perhaps not as imaginative, who occasionally ventured into the realm of whimsy, and who was not without fault. But she embodies what the school values: speed, quietness, and excellence. While the rest of us lingered in the schoolyard, playing football or being captivated by someone's impressive beatboxing, she stayed in the classroom, diligently reading and tackling maths homework.

And AI provides more challenges. In my Facebook feed, I've noticed posts featuring similar images lately, prompting the question: Can you guess which of these images is generated by AI? It's often a straightforward guess, as the AI-generated image tends to be just a little too flawless compared to reality. It lacks those imperfections, bumps, and mistakes that are inherent to life. But the technology gets better, and one day it will not be simple to choose the correct image. In today's world, fake news, manipulated images, and other technologically altered media have become pervasive, posing significant challenges for both journalists and communicators.

Credibility is the cornerstone for both the media and communication industries, and any suspicion of falsehood triggers a crisis of confidence. If I will invest time in reading an article, I want it to be true. And if I search for a government agency's website, I want to be certain about the authenticity of it.

One might assume that technological development is relatively slow. Data, in general, isn't neatly organised in sufficient quantities for truly effective AI use today. It may not impact you as a professional just yet. After all, you've had AI and machine learning functionality on your phone for years (remember discovering a new song with Shazam?), and you still have your job. However, technologies are one thing; behaviours are another, and they can change rapidly. A recent press release from the research company Gartner stated, "50% of Consumers Will Significantly Limit Their Interactions with Social Media by 2025." It's a prediction of the future that may not have seemed entirely plausible two or three years ago, and it will probably change the world a little bit, again.

Only 14.99 euros …

Indeed, AI is already here, influencing you as a journalist and communicator in the present moment. Similar to the emergence of the internet, new companies and methods are continually surfacing.

For example, one company is now launching an Open AI-based tool where you can create a press release in just a couple of minutes by simply typing in what the statement should contain. "Every one of the customers who have tested the tool so far has had their news picked up by the media," says Louise Barnekow, CEO of Mynewsdesk, which is behind it.

"Bonnier's local newspapers will replace copy editors with AI," trumpets a headline in Journalisten, the magazine for members of the Swedish Journalists' Association. "We will use the news rating tools that we have on our news sites, which are also algorithm-driven. Roughly speaking, we will put x number of articles into an AI tool that will then distribute them over y number of pages. The texts do not have to have a certain length since the AI can furnish the pages with the material we give it," says Pia Rehnquist, business area manager for Bonnier News Local.

Sports Illustrated magazine has likely used AI-generated, non-human "journalists" complete with AI-generated texts and picture bylines. But, thinking of it, it's not much stranger than the occasional fabrication of submissions to Chili magazine, of which I was the editor in the mid-1990s. It's not a topic we would openly discuss, but it did occur. Shortcuts for an underpaid, underfinanced, stressed editor.

And if you shudder at the concept of deep fake, consider Los Angeles-based startup Channel 1. This innovative platform produces entire news programs using AI, featuring an AI-generated avatar as the news anchor. If an image is absent, the AI seamlessly generates one to complement the feature. “A new more personal way to watch the news”, the company website says.

For 14.99 euros you can take the course Automating Journalism: Make News Channel with AI Presenters on Udemy. “Learn how to create hyper realistic news videos with AI powered news anchor using HeyGen, HourOne, and Paradiso AI”, the copy says.

The long-term impact of these initiatives on the media and communication industries remains to be answered.

A valuable tool

Despite the numerous challenges, there are significant opportunities with AI for journalists and communicators.

As I write this, ChatGPT has just marked its first anniversary. While AI has been present for a considerable duration, ChatGPT emerged as the catalyst that enabled more individuals to get creative, to innovate.

Leveraging ChatGPT-4, I recently efficiently crafted a communications plan for the organisation I work for, aligning with our long-term goals for 2024–26. Within a matter of seconds, I devised a fully functional plan, generating several ideas that I might have overlooked if I had tackled the task independently. And it saved me at least two hours.

This is where AI has taken us in just the last few years: a time- and resource-saving, efficiency-enhancing tool for media and communication professionals. For the average journalist or communicator, AI proves exceptionally valuable. It aids in structuring text, highlighting key points in a debate article, offering inspiration for visuals, refining language, transcribing and summarising texts, generating social media ideas, shaping article concepts, adapting texts for different target groups, creating personas, developing background articles and overviews, crafting news quizzes, planning a magazine, and more.

Jakob Pettersson Svärd writes in the student essay Morgondagens kommunikation i dag; Chat GPT och den AI-faciliterade skrivprocessen (Tomorrow’s Communication Today Chat GPT and the AI-Facilitated Writing Process): “By asking Chat GPT for text criticism, communicators can receive suggestions for changes to a text product based on very specific requests. [---] The practical benefit of this is considered by several respondents to be significant and some believe that they both develop as writers and increase their linguistic competence thanks to the chatbot writing. The result suggests that the AI-facilitated writing process could offer a valuable alternative to human response giving.”

More communication tools are becoming “AI-infused” platforms. Tasks that only last year required great skill, knowledge and a lot of time have become very easy to handle. For example, the common software Photoshop, Mailchimp and Word, all include generative AI features.

Everyone is a media outlet

However, if the tools become much easier to handle for the professional writer, photographer or designer, then they will be easier to handle for everyone, right?

“Everyone is a media outlet”, Clay Shirky wrote fifteen years ago in the book Here Comes Everybody. “An individual with a camera or a keyboard is now a nonprofit of one, and self-publishing is now the normal case. This spread has been all the more remarkable because this technological story is not like the story of the automobile, where an invention moved from high cost to low cost, so that it went from being a luxury to being a commonplace possession. Rather, this technological story is like literacy, wherein a particular capability moves from a group of professionals to become embedded within society itself, ubiquitously, available to a majority of citizens.”

The transformation Shirky outlined in 2009 will only gain momentum with the assistance of AI-enhanced tools. “Anyone can truly be a media producer,” we could write today.

Consider this: earlier this year, my neighbour Lisa successfully initiated a local TV channel for our village simply because she had some spare time. However, her background in marketing equipped her with the necessary skills acquired in her previous profession. Similarly, my husband just launched a podcast delving into his profound interest in the industrial history of the city of Malmö. While it may be niche, it has found its audience. Yet, his background as a graphic designer and screenwriter allowed him to tell a compelling story, and the only hurdle he faced was mustering the courage to learn new technology. Eventually, he managed to learn the tools in about a week.

Now, imagine a scenario where virtually anyone could create a podcast, write an article, or author a book—a truly outstanding book that captivates a broad readership, perhaps even becoming a bestseller. I don't believe this is a distant prospect. With AI as a guiding hand, one could conceivably outline the book's theme and collaboratively produce a compelling text. No ghost writer, no editor, no graphic designer, no printer needed. What is left—proofreading? A heart?

I believe it's crucial for those of us in the media and communication industries to engage in a meaningful dialogue about this matter.

Welcome to your new job

In five or ten years, what lies in store for the entire media and communication industry? A future where individuals—once labelled as "readers," "viewers," or "target groups"—can craft their news channels, newsletters, and talk video shows, customised exactly as they desire. Let us imagine that we–the journalists and communicators–are no longer overwhelmed by constant production demands since people can produce texts or PowerPoints themselves. What becomes our new focus?

As mentioned earlier, credibility holds immense significance for journalists and communicators, yet there's also value in embracing a bit of quirkiness. To inject a sense of humanity, fallibility, and uniqueness. In Japan, people often refer to this as wabi-sabi, and while it has been mostly seen as a peculiar interior design concept in the West, its essence lies in honouring the flawed, transient, and incomplete aspects of life.

John Hermann writes in New York Magazine: “Could ChatGPT come up with a plausible Thomas Friedman column? Absolutely. Would his many fans want to read it, and pay for it, knowing that its carefully mixed metaphors were generated by a piece of software trained on his archives? I sincerely doubt it!”

I must confess that the prospect of AI has, at times, left me feeling dispirited. Having built my entire professional life around my pen and strategic thinking, it seemed like I was being overshadowed by a mere "tin can." Questions arose: Is there still value in the skills I've meticulously honed throughout my lifetime? Will anyone be willing to pay for them?

Contemplating leaving the industry altogether and venturing into the realm of running a coffee shop crossed my mind. However, it was precisely the concept of wabi-sabi, embracing the slightly quirky and the unique—the human touch—that brought a more uplifting perspective. It became about nurturing my craft, perhaps even viewing it as an art form. Seeing the gold in the crack. Leaving the mundane texts to be handled by the can—those tedious minutes and summaries of someone else's thoughts—so I could redirect my focus towards discovering my true passion and what makes my writing truly distinctive. Should I fail to uncover this essence? Well, then the café idea remains a plausible alternative.

Explaining the complex

Both the journalist and the communicator have an important task in guiding and explaining.

Jan Helin–former editor-in-chief at the newspaper Aftonbladet, now Director of Product Strategy and AI at Bonnier News–writes in the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan: “In human-produced journalism, there is a subject, a person responsible, a perspective that can be explained, questioned and rejected or embraced. There is a reason that can be discussed with a subject about why this particular story is being told right now, why this particular news is being published right now in this way that someone can answer and defend. Such a thing is not found in texts generated by AI with the help of large language models.”

Embracing AI as our ally in generating new ideas can foster a remarkable synergy. AI can spark novel lines of thinking, which we, in turn, refine with our individuality and the inherent charm of wabi-sabi. Paired with the tireless diligence of generative AI—akin to the persistence of the new student at school—we have the potential to form a formidable and productive team.

Marie Gulin-Merle, global VP of ads marketing at Google, writes in Think with Google: “There are never enough people to keep up with the velocity, volume, and variations required to reach people when and where I need to. Now, with new AI-powered tools, my team can scale the creative concepts we love to more formats with unprecedented precision. This means more time and attention can be devoted to shaping core creative concepts. AI can then draw from this source material to instantaneously generate assets like social copy, landing pages, and emails.”

The role of the communicator

Researchers Rickard Andersson, Mats Heide, and Charlotte Simonsson from Lund University recently published a paper on the professionalisation of communicators (Kommunikatörers professionalisering. En balansakt mellan olika roller). In their study, the researchers interviewed communicators and managers in the public sector. The interviewees were asked to outline the core competencies of a communicator. The ability to discern the business's needs and translate them into communicative efforts, and showcasing professional skills through the courage to set boundaries, were two of the answers. Much of this expertise is implicit knowledge that is challenging to articulate—it is something you inherently grasp. Communicators also shared their experiences of daily life filled with producing communication efforts, leaving little time for ongoing education and strategic planning amidst a sea of demands.

The researchers underscore the pivotal role of communication managers in advancing the communication profession. "It is the communications manager who can initiate the process of internal reflexive analysis about their professional identity, prioritise tasks, and engage in discussions about the value of communicators as creators," they note.

This perspective assumes the presence of a communications manager (or in the context of media: an editorial office with an editorial manager). However, it's worth noting that many communicators often find themselves as the sole representative in their workgroups, even within large organisations. Thus, the learning conversations about AI and the professional role must be conducted at the industry level.

The researchers write about what they see as a production trap: "One explanation for this trap is that the orders and expectations from others in the organisation are too great. Another explanation could be that for the communicators it feels safe to work with what is familiar and what you know that you can. We can also see that communicators are often enthusiastic about new media technologies on offer. What used to be intranets and social media are now spelt AI. Technology optimism is high. Among the further education courses offered to communicators, the more operational courses tend to be the most popular. But focusing on operational tasks and media techniques can be seen as a manifestation of procrastination – dealing with things other than what is most important."

Ouch.

The researchers propose a vision where communicators shift their focus towards strategic relationship building, supporting both management and employees in becoming adept communicators themselves. They emphasise the significance of forging strategic alliances and initiating efforts to demonstrate the value of communication. I find this perspective valid, even in the context of AI.

Looking ahead

So, where does this take us? I see several future scenarios that are important to discuss, regardless of whether you work as a journalist or communicator.

Imagine, for example, if language was not an issue. Swedish is my mother tongue, and as a writer, I long felt limited by the fact that I didn't possess the same opportunities as English speakers. My career was hindered by the constraints of the Swedish language, not country borders. However, through AI tools, more individuals can actively participate in global conversations. Suddenly, I can comprehend Urdu, and a Swedish politician can deliver a speech in Arabic (though there may be some inaccuracies in that particular speech—give it a few years!). In crafting this text, I've used AI assistance, allowing me to focus on the content rather than having to dwell on grammar intricacies. We can explore news from any corner of the globe; we may not understand cultural nuances but we can still follow along. For journalists and communicators from Skövde, Sweden to Nkongsamba, Cameroon—who suddenly have the world as their field of work—the potential is remarkable.

And think about the information fatigue that probably many of us already feel today. We find ourselves toggling off notifications on our phones, actively avoiding acquiring more information. It is just too much. It's not entirely improbable that as AI continues to churn out an ever-increasing volume of information, a counter-reaction will emerge—an era of digital detox. Perhaps there lies a future for the substantial, printed book or the investigative reportage, for some.

The retro trend may also become a source of income for media houses. There is a valuable asset for both large media houses and major communications departments: their archives. The current popularity of Instagram accounts featuring old photos from media companies and city archives underscores the appeal of nostalgia. Moreover, articles covering perennial topics such as weight, diseases, vacations, and weather phenomena can be easily picked up and repurposed with slight adjustments. It raises the intriguing prospect: Could "retro" become a new business focus for media houses, with rapid news reporting becoming a domain largely managed by computers? What then happens with “new” in “the news”?

It is possible to think even further. Picture a scenario where AI is no longer a novelty. A time when you don't exclaim, "Haha, I crafted this communication plan with ChatGPT-4!" but rather, you seamlessly create the plan with the most fitting tool. Just as nobody proudly declares today, "Haha, I wrote this text in Word!" Envision a future where it seems amusing to recall the days when specialised communicators—imagine that! It is like scribes in ancient Egypt—crafted PowerPoint presentations, wrote articles, and assembled newsletters. A time when these tasks are seamlessly undertaken by any project manager, car mechanic, or CEO, and executed with finesse. I do not see such a scenario as impossible, and I urge the communications industry to start the conversation about the future professional role.

The discourse around deep fakes and social media algorithms marked the initial phase. It's essential not to get trapped merely in exchanging prompts or boasting about the latest generative AI tools we employ. Today we talk about strategic or operational communication. If operational communication is not something a professional communicator will do shortly, the communicator's role must be redefined. I'm guessing that, for example, radically fewer communicators are needed in an organisation going forward, and that those who remain are mostly engaged in strategic communication.

In conclusion, artificial intelligence is not a passing trend or a mere source of entertainment. It surpasses the role of a simple productivity tool or a means for organisations to streamline their workforce. Instead, it stands at the forefront, ready to fundamentally reshape the communication and media industries. Which future we want, and in which way we want to work, remains to be defined. It is time for you and me to participate in this crucial conversation.

Note. Original texts in Swedish were translated by the author and by Google Translate.