IMPACTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATION ON CONTEMPORARY BROADCAST MEDIA PRACTICE IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF BROADCAST MEDIA PRACTITIONERS IN SELECTED STATES IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

The paper examines the impact of artificial intelligence application on contemporary broadcast media practice inNigeria. The concept of (AI) artificial intelligence application has continued to generate controversy and attentionfrom different scholars and professionals alike. AI as the world most newest technology came on board via thefourth industrial revolution. It is a machine intelligence capable of mimicking human cognitive functions such aslearning, understanding and problem solving. AI has the ability to write articles, news stories as well as effectingediting process. The study objectives were to ascertain the level of understanding of AI application among theBroadcast operators, to find out the role played by AI contents creation and communication and the impacts of AIapplications in the broadcast media outlets in Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria. The study adopts a survey method ofresearch by using questionnaire and interview as a research instrument for data gathering to engage mediapractitioners and academics on discussion on their levels of understanding of AI technology. The sampling size forthe study was 399 according to survey monkey, an online sample size formula. The sampling technique adopted wassimple random sampling. The data were presented in tables and simple percentage. Findings from the study revealedthat 181 respondents strongly agreed to have an understanding about the new technology and its functions ability asAI is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives. Other finding showed that AI application is rapidly developingin the media sector. Consequently, the researchers concluded that the media organizations and the professionalsshould embrace the technology and utilize it for improvement of the media practice.