ABC managing director Hugh Marks defends AI radio news trial

ABC managing director Hugh Marks has defended an artificial intelligence trial that translates radio content into a digital format.

Mr Marks told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday that the trial, already undertaken in Gippsland in western Victoria, would ensure “news content can get more life than just the radio broadcast and can also be available for local audiences”.

“And, soon we will have an option to localise your digital experience as well so you can get that localised content preference,” he said.

Mr Marks said there had been consultation “across many local operations” about the trial.

“I think this is a major initiative, and it’s all aimed about engaging with local audiences, because localism is a thing that the ABC can do again that nobody else can do,” Mr Marks said.

Asked by senator Peter Whish-Worth if the trial was the “tip of the iceberg” and whether there was any assurance it would not be used as justification to cut jobs, Mr Marks said he expected jobs would “probably change, but it's not a job replacement”.

“This is about making the most of the jobs that exist,” he said.

Mr Marks said AI was already being used for emergency broadcasting.

“This is another option for us,” he said.

“Once the journalism is in written form, to be able to share that potentially with other local media operations, just in terms of extending the depth and quality of some of the operations they do,” he said.

Mr Marks said the program would not replace the work of junior reporters and was “staff led”.

“We’re really largely responding to things that staff are doing,” he said.

“So, I think … we’re early in the early in its adoption, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

Mr Marks said the content would still be subject to editorial review.

ABC editorial director Gavin Fang said there was “a place where AI is starting to be utilised”, including analysing large data sets.

“Overall, what we’re seeing is that it’s still relying on the journalists to be able to know what the story is and to know where to point the AI,” Mr Fang said.