Ina Fried shared her views on artificial intelligence (AI) during the AI, AI, Ooohhhhh … panel discussion at the 2023 NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 9, 2023. Watch Ina distill some of her thoughts after the panel and access the full transcript below.
@translashmedia Exploring #AI: Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent at Axios and author of the daily Axios AI+ newsletter, shared her thoughts on AI with us after she particiapted on a panel about AI at #NLGJA23 in Philadelphia on September 9, 2023. Watch the full panel on our IG @translashmedia & access the transcript by subscribing to our newsletter: translash.org/connect 📲Link in bio. #chatgpt #journalist #transtok #transtok🏳️⚧️ #translashmedia #transgender #transwoman #transtech ♬ original sound – TransLash Media
By Daniela “Dani” Capistrano for TransLash Media
Capistrano: Hi, Ina. The TransLash community is already familiar with you as a guest on TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones, but please introduce yourself for new readers on translash.org.
Fried: I’m Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent at Axios. I author the daily Axios AI+ newsletter. My pronouns are she and her.
Capistrano: What have you been working on these days?
Fried: These days I’m spending most of my reporting time on AI.
Capistrano: Artificial intelligence is a loaded topic for many people, especially when discussing how AI-powered facial recognition technology impacts trans folks, Black people, Black trans folks, and more. What is your advice for people who are concerned about the ethical implications of AI?
Fried: First thing I’d encourage people to do is try it out. We can’t know what the technology is and how it should be used unless we try it.
Capistrano: Since we’re surrounded by journalists at NLGJA, I have to ask, what about people working in media who are concerned that AI is going to make their job redundant?
Fried: [Incorporating AI] doesn’t [have to mean] use it to do your job, but it does mean see what it can do; see what it’s good at, what it’s not.
Capistrano: What are some AI tools that you recommend journalists and anyone else use as they wade into the AI waters?
Fried: There’s a few tools I found really useful. The first one is otter.ai.
A lot of journalists were already using this to transcribe interviews and it’s great. Nobody likes—you know, I remember the days of like having to like go back and listen to tape.
Capistrano: Even as just a transcription tool, how trusting should we be of AI?
Fried: You still have to double-check accuracy. It’s not 100%, but it’s really good at that.
Capistrano: What else can otter.ai do?
Fried: Not only is the AI helping transcribe the audio, but you can actually ask questions of your notes, summarize it, [and it tells you] what were a few key quotes.
And all of that is not asking it to write. It’s becoming a good helper.
Capistrano: How else can folks experiment with AI at home?
Fried: Another tool that I think can be really useful is on the art side. You know, play with these art generators.
Capistrano: Should artists be worried about AI impacting their livelihoods?
Fried: I don’t think they’re [art generators] ready to replace humans, but they can do a lot of interesting things.
Capistrano: What should people who work in media watch out for as they start to experiment with AI?
Fried: What I don’t think that AI is good at is as a primary source. So asking ChatGPT a question is in some ways less accurate than asking a search engine. It’s much less accurate than asking Wikipedia. So that’s one that I would caution people against.
Capistrano: It was recently announced that X’s updated privacy policy will entitle it to collect some users’ biometric data and other personal information. What should people be thinking about when they consider which apps to use, including those driven by AI?
Fried: Privacy really matters. And sometimes we’re all too willing to trade our privacy for some cool
new tool. But that doesn’t mean that if we find a tool that we like and we’re comfortable with the privacy, [that we shouldn’t use it].
AI can also help us do things that weren’t possible.
Capistrano: We’re also seeing some positive ways that trans folks are using AI. What do you think about these developments?
Fried: You know, for many of us, when we’re early in our gender transition, we might wonder what could we look like. What are the possibilities? And there are some AI tools that allow for that, and I think it is worth exploring; again, just as long as you’re sure about the privacy implications.
Watch the replay of our IG Live from the AI, AI, Ooohhhhh … panel discussion for more of Ina Fried’s thoughts on AI:
We will be creating a transcript of this panel discussion and sharing it on our website for accessibility. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed. In the meantime, watch TransLash Media founder & CEO Imara Jones receive the 2023 Lisa Ben Award at #NLGJA23.
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