(NB&CL) AI penetrates the stages of news, photo, video production... as a powerful assistant for journalists. With its outstanding features, AI supports journalists in creating perfect photos. Of course, besides the benefits, AI also poses significant challenges for journalists regarding the accuracy of information, creating great pressure for newsrooms in building and strengthening public trust.
Artificial Intelligence with Vietnamese Press Photo As artificial intelligence becomes more and more useful, the question of how much it can be applied and what the boundaries are for using AI in photojournalism is of interest to journalists, photographers, and press agencies. This is also the issue that the Journalists and Public Opinion Newspaper addresses in the series of articles “Artificial Intelligence and Vietnamese Photojournalism”. |
The Power of AI…
Journalist Ngo Huy Hoang - Lecturer of the Vietnam Journalists Association Training Center pointed out that, for journalists and multimedia newsrooms, AI has been very helpful in the work and production process, publishing press products. Particularly for the genre of photojournalism, according to research, AI applications that have been continuously developed in recent times (including versions for computers and versions specifically for mobile phones) have greatly supported reporters and image editors in their work, processing and publishing. Some popular applications include: Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Canva, Evoto, Snapseed... These software are so powerful that they can transform every element in a frame.
“While the most famous and popular software for photojournalists is Photoshop, the new AI version has even more “supernatural” capabilities such as: removing any detail or character in the photo, then replacing it with another detail or character; expanding the image to be more realistic than the original; creating objects, people… as desired on an available background” – Mr. Ngo Huy Hoang emphasized.
Sharing this view, journalist Viet Van - Lao Dong Newspaper also said that the development of AI is very good, it is a powerful assistant if used properly, in the right dosage... In fact, many photo processing software have combined with AI to edit photos effectively at a very fast speed. Journalist Viet Van analyzed that if in the past it was necessary to use 3, 4 mouse clicks with many commands, now it only takes 1 mouse click to finish editing the photo... Thus, it is clear that AI is a good tool, but the problem is how to use it effectively, appropriately and avoid disputes about copyright infringement.
Illustrations generated by AI (2 images on the right).
What are the boundaries of AI in Photojournalism?
How we use it is a matter of moderation when using AI. Because in reality, some AI applications can make what we see no longer real. For example, Photoshop AI has the ability to change the facial expressions and emotions of characters in photos. The expression creation feature in Generative Fill allows creating different expressions for subjects in the image.
In other words, this feature provides very powerful tools to refine all the elements of the face such as eyes, nose, mouth and other lines. It can change the size, shape, tilt angle, feel and other features to create the desired expression... Even many journalists and editorial offices have pursued new standards according to the trend of using images such as: photos must be sharp, bright, vibrant, the characters in the photo must be smooth, glossy, the background is clean... to compete for readers, so they have somewhat "overdone" and turned into "overly creative" photos.
In this regard, experts all agree that, thanks to technology, press photos that reach readers will be more beautiful, sharper, and more aesthetically pleasing. But unlike commercial and artistic photos, press photos have their own standards that journalists must adhere to. And the number one requirement is honesty. Because in essence, press photos are products that provide information in images, and information must be accurate and objective.
According to journalist Viet Van, here we must separate art press photography and press photography to set a boundary in this problem. If used as a highly effective software in creating magazine covers and having a public caption: "This photo uses AI" , it is possible, but if AI is used to violate journalistic ethics such as cropping images, removing details, adding or removing key elements in the photo, it is not allowed... The principle is to only increase brightness, crop at a relative level, and intervene with limits, so as not to lose the authenticity of the event or the actual image. Journalist Viet Van also shared that in the world, there are art photography competitions that have very clear criteria: Experimental photos (allowing the use of AI), but there are also photo competitions that state: All photos intervened by AI are prohibited!
The Photoshop app for iPhone has just been released.
It can be said that the benefits that AI tools bring to journalists in photography cannot be denied. But in a genre where fidelity is everything, the blending of press, commercial and artistic photography in journalistic works sometimes makes press photographers forget the boundaries when using AI to intervene too deeply in the content of the work. Abusing them can cause mixed reactions from public opinion, even a crisis of public confidence when the core value of the authenticity of information through photos is no longer there. This is also partly a violation of the ethics of journalists.
Therefore, using AI appropriately in photojournalism will help journalists and editorial offices improve work efficiency and attract readers. And the important thing is the working attitude and usage of the editorial office and photojournalists in professional practice...
Ha Van
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bai-1-nhan-dien-nhung-tac-dong-cua-tri-tue-nhan-tao-voi-anh-bao-chi-post337259.html
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