Julian Mwine's Blog

The journalist of the future? A ground-breaking study from the JournalismAI initiative at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has shed light on the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and the world of news. Surveying over 100 media houses spanning 46 nations, the report offers a comprehensive look into how AI, particularly generative AI (genAI) like ChatGPT and Google Bard , is reshaping journalism. Conducted between April and July 2023, the survey revealed a promising statistic: 73% of news outlets see genAI as a transformative tool for the industry. A significant 85% of those surveyed, encompassing journalists, tech experts, and newsroom leaders, have dabbled with genAI for diverse tasks, from coding and image creation to crafting concise summaries. The allure of AI in journalism isn't just about automation. Many respondents highlighted AI's potential to liberate journalists from mundane tasks such as transcribing interviews or ...

Kampalans lining up to buy GOTV decoders. What most don't know is that digital migration is not the same as subscribing to a digital PayTV provide r (photo courtesy of Daily Monitor) The confusion surrounding the recent switch-off of some TV stations in and around Kampala as equipment to enable migration to digital television was being installed on the Kololo TV mast exposed just how little sensitisation has been done to prepare the public for digital migration.  The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has done a poor job sensitizing Ugandans on the digital migration to the extent that even the few who  have an idea of what digital migration is about associate the move to digital with subscription services like StarTimes and GoTV. UCC has not done enough to sensitize the public on the purchase of free-to-air decoders (for which no subscription is required) and how these will work and it has instead kept quiet while the PayTV stations are raking in millions fr...

These days its hard to open a newspaper, watch TV or traverse the information superhighway without coming across an article or blog post praising IT and what a positive impact it has on business the world over or how information technology is literally capable of solving most of the problems known to man. However, despite the undeniable importance of IT in today’s world, sometimes the role (and importance) of IT seems to be overstated for different reasons and in a number of ways. A graphical representation of the Digital Access Index.  See how poorly Africa is  doing (Source: International Telecommunications Union) The rapid growth of IT and ICT use has led to a digital divide between those who have and those who do not have access to IT facilities and services especially in the poorest parts of the world. While the importance of IT is being discussed, it is worthwhile to realise that in some situations only a small section of the population can access this IT and thus ...