Contemporary Tasks for Jordanian Journalists in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a tremendous technological advancement that impacts journalism. The expansion of AI throughout the news industry could help manage routine tasks traditionally performed by journalists, which unburdens journalists from mundane tasks and allows them to reallocate their time to other novel responsibilities. The tasks that AI may be able to manage include news gathering, translation, fact-checking, and responding to audience inquiries. The current study focuses on new journalistic tasks for journalists in the era of AI. Based on the Theory of Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), a qualitative approach was adopted for this research, which focuses on Al-Mamlaka TV in Jordan. The research relies on in-depth interviews that were conducted among 14 journalists who work in the Al-Mamlaka TV newsroom in Amman. Informants were selected from various positions in the newsroom using a snowball sampling technique. Thematic analysis was used to determine results. The findings reveal three main tasks that journalists at Al-Mamlaka TV face in the presence of AI in their newsroom. First, the need to monitor and supervise AI-generated content. Second, the importance of dealing with data and algorithms. Last, the need to leverage their personal advantage of the creative human touch while producing news content with AI. The study provides awareness as it pertains to journalists using AI in newsrooms.