ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN JOURNALISM: BALANCING AUTOMATION AND JOURNALISTIC RESPONSIBILITY

Abstract

Purpose: to analyze the ethical challenges arising from the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in journalism and to propose approaches for balancing the automation of journalistic processes with the maintenance of professional responsibility. Methods: the study employs analysis of scientific publications and a comparative approach to juxtapose perspectives on journalistic ethical norms with AI capabilities, as well as scenario modeling methods to illustrate potential outcomes of AI integration, including the use of hypothetical data for statistical approximation. Study design: entails a theoretical literature review and construction of hypothetical scenarios of AI use in the news domain, evaluating associated risks and benefits. Results: key areas of AI application in journalism are summarized (automated news generation, data processing, content personalization, etc.), and the main ethical issues linked to these applications are identified – in particular, concerns over the veracity of AI-generated content, possible algorithmic biases, accountability for errors, and transparency with the audience.The paper presents results of a hypothetical survey of journalists, demonstrating a high level of concern regarding the accuracy and impartiality of AI systems. The findings show that despite significant advantages in speed and scale of news production, AI cannot fully replace the ethical intuition and responsibility of a human editor. Conclusions: for balanced integration of AI in media, a combination of automating routine processes while preserving journalist oversight is recommended; developing ethical standards and protocols for AI use; ensuring algorithmic transparency and informing audiences about the degree of content automation. Further research should include empirical examination of the impact of automation on media trust, improvements in algorithms from an ethical standpoint, and adaptation of journalism education to the AI era.