Artificial Intelligence in Contemporary Journalism Practice in Benin City, Edo State

Abstract

The researchers examined the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in contemporary journalism in Benin City. The study sought to understand how journalists in Benin City integrate AI into their work, and the challenges they face using traditional practices and regulatory concerns. Anchored on the Technological Determinism theory and Diffusion of Innovation theory, the researchers employed the survey research method and questionnaire as data collection instrument. The population of the study covered all registered journalists in the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) working in Benin City and purposive sampling technique was used in administering 186 copies of questionnaire on the sample size that was arrived at using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determiner. Findings of the study revealed, among others, that journalists (68.5%) in Benin have not fully adopted AI into journalism practices due to lack of training, infrastructure, and regulatory support. The researchers recommended targeted training programmes and the establishment of robust regulatory frameworks that address ethical concerns to ensure responsible AI use in Nigerian journalism