This is a summary of the inaugural Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 30 November 2023 focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Disinformation.
The event was kicked off with three expert stimulators' from the fields of academia, technology and publishing respectively.
The academic made the point that AI is not the primary driver of misinformation, and that we should focus on strengthening norms and technological solutions to mitigate the risk of misinformation.
The technologist discussed the potential for AI to be used for autonomous systems and data systems to build agents that seek rewards and gain systems they interact with, which could pose new challenges for news organisations.
The publisher highlighted the dangers of AI deepening polarisation, polluting the idea of whats true, and polluting the question of who to believe.
These summaries were aided by the use of AI via Google's Bard
The group discussion touched many different subjects:
Polarisation Given that in many elections/countries existing polarisation is such that one only needs to swing 2% of an electorate to change the outcome that AI will end up being a negative force overall and that AI could also super-charge and reinforce existing polarisation in society.
The counter to this is that many countries have a multi-party system unlike the US and thus this mitigates this somewhat.
Also, have publishers themselves embraced enough social media and micro-formats (like TikTok) which their audiences are consuming?
Tech While there was much discussion of bad actors, there was also concern about neutral actors where there is a belief that so-called hallucinations are a feature of the system not a bug.
A point was made that we should stop using the word hallucination as it anthropomorphises the tech and dodges responsibility; bad outputs are mis-information - all else is dis-information.
Additionally as the AI systems are predominately being built by white men in California, this will exacerbate the concentration of power there, continuing the Californication of technologies.
Journalism This should be an opportunity to move out of a defensive mode that has crept in since the beginning of the internet age, into a more attack mode which proudly makes the case for human-based journalism.
In a world where the majority of content is AI-produced, human-made content could/should have a premium.
A true culture change in the news ecosystem is needed, especially around news senior management who, until ChatGPT launched, underinvested and undervalued AI tech.
Outcomes What do we want the outcome to be and how do we get there? Believing in governments alone to mitigate the harms is not enough.
We should be creating new products that include collaborations between tech companies, journalists, NGOs and governments.
JournalismAI is a good start but needs more support and publicity throughout the ecosystem.
-- Play
-- --
Diversity Strong points were made about how AI tech and LLMs in particular are not diverse enough and contain existing societal biases.
For example, the Slovenia AI-faked audio talked about buying the Roma vote which feeds on anti-Roma prejudices or how can small languages be part of LLMs while retaining agency and not be disintermediated/de-powered?
A counter point was made that actually AI can help address more minority audiences who may not have been catered to or focused on by mainstream output due to the operational burden.
Small Newsrooms There were two differing views on small newsrooms and AI.
Smaller newsrooms may not have the bandwidth, expertise nor time to engage as they are doing all they can simply to keep the lights on. However, they have an advantage over larger newsrooms in that the decision-making is quicker and commitment can see positive change much quicker as a result.
The event concluded by returning to the point that this should be an opportunity to go into attack mode around the value of human-based journalism.
The next Thomson Talks is scheduled for February 2024 around AI/News and Regulation.
Madhav Chinnappa Thomson Talks
Madhav Chinnappa, the former Director of News Ecosystem Development at Google and veteran news executive, leads our Thought Leadership events Thomson Talks.
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
This is a summary of the inaugural Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 30 November 2023 focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Disinformation.
