The two-day European Broadcasting Union assembly, held in Limassol, Cyprus and attended by Vatican Radio, discussed the role of public service media in a climate of intense polarization and the impact of artificial intelligence on the world of communications.
Vatican News
In a time of intense polarization, both political and social, public media are being called upon to play an increasingly important role in safeguarding democratic institutions. This was the message emanating from Limassol, southern Cyprus, which yesterday and today hosted the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (Ebu), the body that brings together Europe’s public radio and television stations.
Participants in the rally included Vatican Radio, headed by Alessandro Gisotti, deputy editor-in-chief of the Vatican Press Office.
The conference, which was opened by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, focused on the information sector and the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the journalistic profession and communication operators.
Noel Curran, General Director of Ebu, stressed the need to stay up to date on the process of technological transformation, pointing out that, on the one hand, there is a need to benefit from this new technology, but on the other hand, there is an urgent need to protect the value of information, which starts from the search for truth, which could be dangerously threatened by the misuse of artificial intelligence.
The European Media Summit released a report on trustworthy journalism in the age of AI.
The document reiterates that information has an irreplaceable role to play in conveying the facts and stories of people and communities. Algorithms that determine the timing and method of new technologies are based solely on probability calculations.
Participants also discussed the issue of privacy and databases, which today, more than ever, could pose a risk to people’s freedoms if their correct and regulated use is not guaranteed.
Former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso also spoke at the Limassol event, discussing with participants the challenges posed for public media by the rise of populist political groups in the recent European elections.
The Assembly also confirmed Delphine Hernot, head of France Television since 2015, to serve another two-year term as president. The next EBU Assembly is scheduled to take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, in December 2024.
