AI won’t steal your byline, it will just help you write it, says Danish Union of Journalists

by Ng Natasha Goa Sheng and Ingvild Marie Svardal

Artificial intelligence (AI) in the newsroom will not pose a threat for journalists, according to the Danish Union of Journalists.

The Danish Union of Journalists, based in Copenhagen, is not concerned about AI´s growth in journalism. Credit: Ingvild Marie Svardal 

– I’m not worried that AI will take over journalists’ jobs, says Bo Therkildsen. 

He is a communication consultant at the Danish Union of Journalists (DJ). 

– I believe that if used in the right way, AI can become a valuable tool for journalists, he continues.  

Enhancing journalism 

Artificial intelligence is a growing industry in the world of technology and is making its way into several parts of the workplace.  

According to Statista, over 250 million people all over the world used AI tools in 2023. They expect this number to almost triple by 2030 when they believe almost 730 million people will be using AI tools. 

The number of people that regularly use AI is expected to grow. Credit: Ng Natasha Goa Sheng 

DJ is not worried that AI will be a threat to journalism and the work of journalists. They believe that if used in a responsible and educated way, that it could be a useful tool.  

– It can become a supplement and take over “boring” routine tasks. Additionally, it can be a tool for quickly reading and understanding long, complex texts and data, Therkildsen elaborates.  

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) in Copenhagen are developing their own AI-tools to use in their day-to-day work. Credit: Ng Natasha Goa Sheng 

Therkildsen adds that DJ is also looking into how AI affects copyright. As well as offering a number of one-day courses and after-work meetings focused on AI. 

This is a story for an audience that is interested in journalism and that has a similar media landscape as Denmark, and could be published on journalisten.no.