The United States Embassy in Abuja has trained journalists from Sokoto, Bauchi, Edo and other parts of the country on the use of Artificial Intelligence in journalism. The training was held at various American Spaces across the country.
In Sokoto, nearly 30 broadcasters from different radio and television stations attended the training.
Speaking during the training, facilitator Chris Coates discussed the growing role of AI in journalism and urged media organisations to develop clear policies to guide its use.
He said AI is not designed to replace journalists but to support them and make their work more efficient.
He added that better prompts produce better results, while AI can help journalists summarise bulky documents within minutes.
However, He advised journalists to always verify information generated by AI for accuracy before publication.
In her welcome address, Aisha Gambari, embassy’s Communications Specialist said the training was aimed at helping journalists understand how to use AI to ease their work and improve productivity in their various organisations.
She stressed that AI is not replacing the role of journalists but can help make their work more effective.
Reacting to the training, Peoples Daily correspondent in Sokoto, Bashir Rabe Mani, described it as very important.
He said participants learned about AI as an emerging technology that is revolutionising research and other areas of journalism.
A broadcaster with Caliphate Radio and Television, Hajara Usman, also commended the organisers, saying she would use AI responsibly to improve productivity, speed up research and enhance the quality of news production.
In her closing remarks, Julie McKay, Public Diplomacy Officer, U.S. Consulate Lagos urged journalists to put the knowledge gained into practice.
She encouraged participants to use AI responsibly while maintaining professional standards, human judgement and accuracy in their work.
