Magnetic Media attends Caribbean Media Summit, in focus AI in Journalism

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

May 11, 2024 – Using AI in journalism and the Caribbean context was the focus of the 2024 Caribbean Media Summit when regional professionals met from May 8 – 10 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Dana Malcolm, Journalist and News Anchor

Now in its 3rd year, but 1st in-person session following COVID-19, the summit gathered panelists and presenters from the BBC, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, Reuters Institute and more. Championed by the Media Institute of the Caribbean, US Embassy, and  Press Association of Jamaica, it focused on introducing journalists to safe and ethical AI use.

Stakeholders from all areas of media were involved, both in person and virtually including dozens of Journalists, regulators (Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica) policy makers (UNESCO) and the creators of AI themselves, including Neil Sanota BM Master Inventor.

Also shown at the event was a new iteration of the UNESCO AI Roadmap for the Caribbean which used needs assessments to create a four pillar AI strategy for the Caribbean. The roadmap focuses on AI for use in Culture and Creativity, Governance and Transformation, Upskilling and Education, and Resiliency and Sustainability.

A particular point shared by panelists was that the digital divide that exists regionally, currently, would only worsen with AI introduction and in order to keep up with the world and manipulate AI as a tool for good Caribbean residents would need to be sensitized and trained in is use

Presenters at the summit included, Petra Abbam, Principal Responsible Al Manager at the British Broadcasting Corporation (ВВС); Brant Houston, Co-Founder of the  Global Investigative Journalism Network; Wesley Gibbings Co-Founder of the  Association of Caribbean Media Workers; Marcellus Alexander. Director at the Scripps Network; Nic Newman, Senior Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Oxford University; and Canute James, award winning  International Journalist and Lecturer at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC).

Attending were more than 200 journalists and media professionals from over 50 countries including Magnetic Media representatives: Deandrea Hamilton, CEO; Rashaed  Esson, Journalist and Caribbean News Anchor; Sherrica Thompson, Journalist and Production Lead; Dana Malcolm, Journalist and News Anchor and Shanieka Smith, Journalist and Social Media Co-ordinator.