AI tools can strengthen journalism, but professional integrity remains essential:Ali Dar

LAHORE, Nov 11 (APP): Adviser to Chief Minister(CM)Punjab on AI, International Cooperation and Special Initiatives Ali Dar has said that maintaining truth and public trust is the biggest challenge facing journalism in the rapidly evolving era of artificial intelligence (AI),making news verification and fact-checking more important than ever.
Addressing the Digital Journalism Impact event organized by Google and Tech Valley here on Wednesday,he said that more than 4,000 journalists and students across Pakistan had so far received training under the Digital Journalism Program,including 846 participants from Punjab.
He said the program had equipped journalists with skills in news verification and access to modern AI tools,which could accelerate and improve research,transcription,translation and fact-checking.
However,he emphasized that training,professional skills and journalistic integrity were essential for the responsible use of technology.
Ali Dar said Chief Minister(CM) Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif envisioned transforming Punjab into South Asia’s leading AI-enabled province by 2029.
To achieve this goal,the provincial government was extending the use of artificial intelligence across key sectors, from classrooms to newsrooms and beyond.
He said that AI was a powerful tool but the responsibility to distinguish between truth and falsehood ultimately rested with journalists,guided by their professional values and integrity.
Responsible use of AI could help Pakistani journalism compete globally and take the country’s stories to international audiences.
Speaking about the provincial government’s performance,Ali Dar said that under the leadership of CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif,the Punjab government had demonstrated its performance through the implementation of various development initiatives over the past two and a half years.
He said that even the government’s critics acknowledged its performance,adding that no other provincial government in Pakistan had matched the performance of the Punjab government under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.