Artificial Intelligence and Journalism in Four African Countries: Optimists, Pessimists, and Pragmatists

This study examines how journalists in four African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa) perceive and utilise AI tools in news production. The study draws on “imagined affordance” as a theoretical framework and semi-structured interviews with journalists in the four countries. The main research questions were: (i). what are journalists’ experiences of AI use in news production in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria? (ii). How has the use of AI tools facilitated or constrained journalists in news production? (iii). What are the ethical dilemmas journalists in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa face in news production when they use AI tools in their work, and how have these been negotiated? The sampling criteria involved purposive and snowball sampling to select full-time and freelance journalists and editors. Participants needed to have knowledge of new media and AI use in their work or newsrooms. The findings suggest that African journalists perceive the utilisation of AI tools in news production through a framework of optimism, pessimism, and pragmatism, with an eclectic mix of these perspectives in actual news production processes across the four countries. This approach provides a holistic framework for understanding how African journalists appropriate AI tools in news production.