The future of journalism lies not in choosing between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, but in combining both to produce faster, smarter and more credible journalism. That was the central message delivered by Dr. Monday Ashibogwu, PhD, FCCA, FNIPR, ARPA, Group Chief Executive Officer of Billsbox Services Limited, during a high-level executive training on "Publishing in an Era of Artificial Intelligence."
The 45-minute lecture formed part of a journalists' capacity-building programme jointly organised by Leadway Assurance, one of Nigeria's leading insurance and financial services companies, and Creato Urban, a Lagos-based global creative intelligence and public relations consultancy. The training took place at Leadway Learning Academy located at 40 Montgomery Road, Yaba, Lagos, bringing together media professionals to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping journalism and publishing.
Addressing participants, Ashibogwu challenged long-held fears surrounding AI, insisting that technology should be viewed as a tool for empowering journalists rather than replacing them.
"Artificial Intelligence will not replace journalists. Journalists who use Artificial Intelligence will replace those who don't," he declared, setting the tone for a presentation that explored both the promise and the risks of AI in modern journalism.
Tracing the history of media transformation, Ashibogwu described artificial intelligence as the Fourth Revolution in Publishing, following the invention of Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, the rise of radio and television broadcasting, and the internet-driven digital revolution in the 1990s.
"The AI revolution is happening faster than all previous revolutions combined," he told participants.
For Nigeria's media industry, the timing could hardly be more significant.
Traditional publishers continue to grapple with declining newspaper circulation, shrinking advertising revenues, audience migration to social media platforms, rising production costs, fake news, misinformation and an erosion of public trust.
Against this backdrop, Ashibogwu argued that artificial intelligence presents not only disruption but also the biggest growth opportunity the industry has witnessed in decades.
AI Offers Hope for Troubled Newsrooms
Ashibogwu noted that Nigerian media organisations are currently battling declining newspaper circulation, shrinking advertising revenue, rising operational costs, fake news, audience migration to social media and falling public confidence in traditional media.
Despite these challenges, he maintained that artificial intelligence presents the biggest opportunity for publishers in decades.
He described AI as machines performing tasks that traditionally require human intelligence, explaining that today's AI tools can write articles, edit stories, translate content into Nigerian languages, analyse data, generate graphics, produce podcasts and videos, personalise content for readers and even predict audience trends. He stressed that these capabilities are no longer futuristic concepts.
"AI is already changing publishing. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Right now—in real newsrooms across the world."
Global Media Already Embracing AI
Using examples from some of the world's biggest media organisations, Ashibogwu demonstrated that AI has become part of everyday newsroom operations.
He cited the BBC's automated news summaries and translation systems, Reuters' real-time financial reporting, Bloomberg's Cyborg platform for automated financial stories, the Associated Press' earnings reports, The Washington Post's Heliograf reporting system, The New York Times' AI-assisted investigations, Financial Times' AI newsroom policies, The Guardian's transparency guidelines, Al Jazeera's multilingual production system and The Economist's data-driven journalism. According to him, none of these organisations have replaced journalists with machines.
"None have replaced journalists. They have enhanced journalists."
AI Across the Newsroom
The media executive outlined numerous areas where AI is already improving newsroom efficiency, including story discovery, background research, fact-checking, drafting, editing, headline writing, search engine optimisation, graphic design, video editing, publishing and audience analytics.
He also introduced participants to leading AI applications currently supporting news production, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grammarly, Canva AI, Adobe Firefly, ElevenLabs, Descript, Runway and Synthesia.
For Nigerian newsrooms, he identified immediate opportunities such as automated transcription, speech-to-text interviews, headline testing, multilingual reporting, newsletter production, podcast creation, social media content generation and AI-assisted fact-checking.
Investigative Journalism Gets a Powerful Ally
One of the highlights of the presentation focused on investigative journalism, where Ashibogwu explained that AI enables reporters to analyse millions of financial records, procurement documents, court judgments, election data, satellite images and government budgets within minutes—tasks that would ordinarily consume weeks or months.
He illustrated how AI significantly improves newsroom productivity. Without AI, producing a comparable story could take approximately eight hours, including research, editing, graphics and social media promotion. With AI assistance, the same workflow could be completed in roughly two hours. The implication, he said, is that one reporter can now produce multiple quality stories in a single working day without sacrificing editorial standards.
Human Judgment Remains Irreplaceable
While celebrating AI's potential, Ashibogwu repeatedly reminded participants that journalism's most valuable qualities cannot be automated. He argued that human judgment, ethics, courage, empathy, editorial independence, contextual understanding, source relationships and accountability remain beyond the reach of machines.
"AI is NOT a journalist."
He warned that AI cannot determine what truly matters to society, defend public interest or accept responsibility for inaccurate reporting.
Deepfakes and Misinformation Pose Serious Risks
The speaker cautioned editors against blindly trusting AI-generated content, identifying hallucinations, fabricated quotations, algorithmic bias, plagiarism, copyright infringement, privacy violations, misinformation and deepfake technology as major threats confronting modern journalism.
He explained that AI can now create realistic fake interviews, cloned voices, manipulated videos, fabricated photographs and forged official documents capable of deceiving even experienced professionals.
"Every AI risk becomes a newsroom risk the moment you publish without checking."
To safeguard newsroom credibility, he proposed a six-stage verification process requiring AI-generated material to pass through human verification, independent source confirmation, editorial review and legal scrutiny before publication.
"Human oversight remains non-negotiable."
Ethics and Editorial Policies
Ashibogwu encouraged every media organisation to establish comprehensive AI editorial policies covering acceptable use, transparency, privacy, copyright, verification standards, data protection and human oversight. He warned that the absence of clear policies exposes publishers to legal, ethical and reputational risks.
"If it isn't written down, it isn't policy—it's an accident waiting to happen."
AI Creates New Revenue Opportunities
Beyond editorial efficiency, the Billsbox CEO argued that AI could unlock new revenue streams for struggling publishers. He identified premium newsletters, AI-powered subscriptions, personalised news feeds, automated podcasts, digital archives, knowledge products, consultancy services and journalism training programmes as sustainable income sources. According to him, publishers relying solely on advertising may struggle in the coming years, while organisations that diversify their revenue through AI-driven products are more likely to remain competitive.
Nigeria's Digital Advantage
Ashibogwu described Nigeria as uniquely positioned to benefit from AI-powered journalism because of its youthful population, expanding mobile internet usage, multilingual audience and growing appetite for digital news.
However, he acknowledged persistent obstacles including poor digital literacy, unstable electricity, expensive internet access, regulatory uncertainty and declining public trust in the media. He urged publishers to develop AI strategies that respond to Nigeria's local realities rather than simply copying international models.
Skills for Tomorrow's Journalists
As AI becomes deeply integrated into news production, journalists must also evolve.
Ashibogwu identified AI literacy, prompt engineering, verification techniques, data journalism, digital storytelling, multimedia production, cybersecurity awareness, search engine optimisation and critical thinking as essential competencies for the next generation of Nigerian reporters.
He described critical thinking as the one skill artificial intelligence can never replace.
Responsible AI is the Way Forward
During a practical case study, participants debated whether an AI-generated breaking news report produced within five minutes should be published immediately.
The discussion reinforced the importance of balancing speed with accuracy, especially in an era where misinformation spreads rapidly.
Ashibogwu concluded the session by encouraging media organisations to spend the next 90 days developing AI policies, training newsroom staff, introducing verification procedures, ensuring copyright compliance and launching pilot AI projects. He maintained that the future of journalism belongs to organisations willing to embrace innovation without compromising professional ethics.
In his closing remarks, he delivered what many participants described as the defining message of the training.
"The future belongs neither to traditional journalism nor to artificial intelligence alone. It belongs to journalists who combine human wisdom with machine intelligence."