The government official spoke at the presentation of the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Journalism at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The project is funded by European Media and Information, managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and coordinated by Nova FCSH.
António Leitão Amaro emphasized that companies should innovate by applying existing knowledge and practices from other fields, embracing research to create new solutions.
He stated that companies, the state, educators, universities, and training centers should provide training and enable journalists, urging for ambition in these efforts.
“I believe this was implicitly addressed in the PACS [Action Plan for Social Communication], but I want to significantly reinforce the readiness to support the training and modernization of journalists, as well as the modernization of the media in preparing for this new era of artificial intelligence,” he continued.
Finally, he advocated supporting the public service’s role in combating misinformation by utilizing these technologies and debunking misinformation generated by them, the Minister of the Presidency remarked.
“I believe it’s important that this task not only be entrusted to the RTP within the public service but also involve Lusa, fostering synergy, balance, and a common effort from these entities, respecting their mutual independence, and importantly, independence from the government and political powers,” António Leitão Amaro stressed.
“I think this is a path and a highly relevant suggestion,” he concluded.
Among the recommendations of the White Paper is enhancing the role of Public Media Service in media literacy and combating disinformation by developing regular, multi-platform, and freely accessible content, including formats tailored for children and teenagers, as stated in the document.
