Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Nezar Patria emphasized the important role of journalism amidst the flood of artificial intelligence (AI)-based content , which is increasingly difficult to distinguish from real events.
In the Press Council and Google News Initiative Collaboration Forum held in Serang, Banten, Sunday (8/2), he said that the development of AI has changed the landscape of the mass media industry and the public's information consumption patterns.
AI-engineered photos, videos, and texts are now widely circulated on digital platforms and social media, leaving the public vulnerable to deception.
"Today's synthetic content is so similar to the real thing that even trained people can be mistaken. This is where the public needs journalism that operates with the discipline of verification," Nezar said, as quoted in a ministry press release on Monday.
He argued that the main problem in the digital era is not a scarcity of information, but a crisis of trust.
Algorithms and personalization systems make the public see a fragmented reality according to their individual preferences, rather than a complete picture of events.
"Information is abundant today, but what's scarce is trust. That trust can only be maintained through journalism with integrity," Nezar said.
