What is The Future of Journalism?

In the rapidly changing world, QNN reporter asked Michio Kaku’s opinion on the future of Journalism and possibility of robots with AI to replace journalists.

- It’s pleasure to talk to you, Mr. Kaku. So, in your point of foreseeing, what changes could we see Journalism’s near future?

- Journalism is undergoing a process of automation. Companies are firing journalists, but no because of Artificial Intelligence. AI requires understanding human values. And journalism depends on understanding human values. Robots do not understand that. For example, lawyers cannot be replaced by robots because lawyers have to argue to juries and judges. And decisions have to be explained journalists. Robots cannot do any of these things as they do not understand human relations. Robot-Journalist can be used to make an article streamline, to do a fact-checking, to do a basic research on articles. That’s where AI would be an asset to journalists. But to replace journalists, I think will be difficult.

- What if AI robot will pass the test of Alan Turing?

- A test of Alan Turing could be passed by a CheckBots. They have a few hundred words in its vocabulary. A typical conversation requires only a few hundred words. So, when it uses common words as “Hello”, “How are you?”, it sounds intelligent. But it’s no understanding what it’s saying. It’s simply using a few hundred words, that’s programmed into its memory. Journalism requires understanding human values, human interactions, even politics, which robots don’t understand.

- What can you say about GoogleX geeks? Are they really creating really smart robots which can replace almost any kind of profession?

- Robots are good in data processing like analyzing thousands of pictures of people’s faces. And in doing repetitive tasks like being a search engine. That gives an illusion of thinking. They are thinking at all. They just programmed to complete repetitive tasks. They are millions of times faster than you, but they don’t think to do its task. They are bad at common sense, human interaction and panel recognition. Guess what? These are what journalism requires. That’s why no matter how advanced robots appear to be, it’s an illusion. So you think, they are thinking. But it’s a tape recorder basically.

- What if developing robots show the results of the real human based robot, which almost the same emotions and feelings as a human?

- Well, I am not saying that robot cannot pass the Turing test. I am just saying that no robot passed the Turing test in my satisfaction. The so-called Turing test has been passed by ChatBoxes, which talks, talks and talks. But they don’t have a basis of self-awareness. A robot does not know it’s a robot. Self-awareness is a very difficult concept. It may take decades for robots to find out that they are robots.