Technology creates good, but on the other hand brings evil. On one hand, technology makes it easier for humans, but on the other hand, it is troublesome for humans. Technology not only helps humans solve various problems, but also exposes humans to new problems.
This was conveyed by the Director General of Information and Public Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Information (Dirjen IKP Kemkominfo) Usman Kansong as a speaker at the 2023 National Conference on Humanist Communication (KNKH) organized by the Faculty of Communication Science (Fikom) Untar, Tuesday (17/10) at Untar campus auditorium.
Usman continued, regulations are needed to increase the positive side of artificial intelligence (AI) while reducing the negative side. The regulation itself is divided into two, voluntary and coercive.
“Voluntary regulations are non-binding, relative, and only obeyed by a group of people. Meanwhile, coercive regulations are outlined in laws and regulations,” he explained.
An example of voluntary regulation is the existence of a number of universities that prohibit ChatGPT in scientific writing and the media community calls on journalists to write news based on editorial policies, not algorithms. Meanwhile, an example of coercive regulation in Indonesia is the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) signing a memorandum of understanding with TikTok to create healthy elections.
The conference themed “Artificial Intelligence in the Evolution of Media and Communication” also presented speakers Head of Media Relations Shopee Indonesia Prisca Niken and Fikom Untar lecturer and media observer Dr. Moehammad Gafar Yoedtadi, M.Si.
Prisca delivered the material entitled “Public Relations 4.0, Artificial Intelligence: the Benefits and Risks of Change”, explaining that artificial intelligence cannot completely replace the role of public relations. The role of a public relations practitioner is still needed in building good relationships with stakeholders because a relationship requires a “human touch”.
He conveyed that AI technology can be useful in helping public relations tasks in getting ideas and inspiration, assisting content creation, supporting research, monitoring media, and reporting purposes. “AI is the future of the PR industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moehammad Gafar observed algorithms in journalism, which he said affect the way journalists work in the newsroom. The press industry inevitably has to consider how algorithms work in their products, and often disrupt the quality of news.
KNKH 2023 was opened by the Rector of Untar Prof. Dr. Ir. Agustinus Purna Irawan, M.T., M.M., I.P.U., A.E. and attended by the Dean of Fikom Untar Dr. Riris Loisa, M.Si. The Dean of Fikom in his speech said that this annual conference was not only a part of Untar’s 64th Anniversary, but also a form of implementation of cooperation between universities, industry, and professionals.
She said, the topic of artificial intelligence has become the concern of many parties, but it has not been discussed too often in the perspective of communication. This activity is expected to add insight and knowledge about artificial intelligence. (YS/AW)