This article is adapted from NetEase News College.
On August 22nd, NetEase News held the "Zhong Xueshe Salon" event under the theme of "How Artificial Intelligence Will Reshape Journalism," inviting experts and scholars from Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Reuters, and Xinhua News Agency to discuss the impact of new technologies on media transformation. Below is a summary of Professor Hu Yong's keynote speech at the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University.
1. Automation Knows No Bounds
In 2013, I wrote two sentences: "Everything that can be digitized will be digitized." For instance, classrooms and consulting rooms, which were once hard to digitize, are now becoming increasingly digitized. My second sentence was that "anything that can be intelligent will be intelligent." A variety of objects can now be equipped with chips to become smart and connect to the internet, such as smartphones, sensors, drones, autonomous vehicles, and more. Today, I would like to add that the third wave of automation is arriving, and anything that can be automated will eventually be automated.
Which professions might be replaced by automation? Workers are highly susceptible to replacement, followed by the service industry. With the advent of service robots, employees in the service sector face significant challenges. For example, the restaurant you dine at may soon become an unmanned establishment, and your home could be cleaned by a robotic vacuum cleaner. Many people once believed that "we are safe because we are all high-end professionals with advanced intelligence." But now you're alarmed because AI is rumored to replace lawyers, journalists, and investors. However, I believe the most dangerous group here isn't the average professional but the middle managers. They earn relatively high wages, yet their roles aren't entirely irreplaceable. If I were the boss, I'd let them go first.
2. Where Lies the Value of Humans After Automation Arrives?
The Essence of Humanity Sets Us Apart from Machines
Borrowing from the Bible's phrase, "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes," I believe the ultimate outcome will be: the return of people, the return of computers to computers. Thus, we need to analyze what aspects of humanity cannot be replaced by computers.
One of the most crucial features of human nature is its ambiguity—paths are often unclear, and there are many uncertain elements. Computers, however, require precision and standardization in everything they do. Humanity might be the last line of defense against robots.
The hardest thing for a machine to replace is "human touch."
There is a term in English called "human touch," which is quite challenging to translate. In journalism, we translate it as "human touch." For instance, writing a report requires empathy. We can't compete with machines in physical endurance, so our only advantage lies in emotional dimensions. If you think like a machine, you'll be 100% destroyed by it because you won't outmatch machines in logic, pure reason, or the speed of their development. So, the best way to avoid being replaced by a machine is to cultivate your human touch.
In this sense, the work that will remain uniquely human in the future may involve the integration of automation. You don't need to concern yourself with tasks that can be automated since they inevitably will be. The jobs you should consider are those that remain after automation has taken over. The essence of these remaining opportunities lies in human touch.
3. Using Data to Create Content Will Ensure Success
I categorize work into three types: handling data, handling objects, and handling people. You can think of them as the three fundamental elements of work. The more complex the nature of the work, the more intertwined these elements become, making the work less substitutable. If you're washing dishes in a restaurant, you're only dealing with dirty plates, and you'll likely be replaced. However, if you're a patent lawyer, you need to delve into all three areas—studying data, understanding people, and comprehending objects—the likelihood of such replacement is relatively low.
Specifically in the news industry, traditional reporters primarily handle people, but today, if you only focus on people without handling data, your job carries some risk.
Therefore, those who are truly invincible right now are individuals who know how to use data to create content. For example, a coder or computer scientist is such a person because they can interpret raw data into meaningful insights. As a marketer, if you can convert consumer data into sales strategies, you'll be less likely to be replaced.
The same applies to journalism. Today's reporters must learn to manage data and transform raw data into meaningful results. Hence, my conclusion is that some reporters are at risk. However, if they can seamlessly integrate data, people, and objects, they are less likely to lose their jobs. For instance, Google provided the British Press Association €700,000 to develop AI for automatic news writing. The project is named RADAR, which stands for Reporters And Data And Robots, emphasizing the collaboration between journalists, data, and robots.
Thus, reporters should leverage the unique advantages of humanity while mastering data-driven methods. Ultimately, we aim to make robots serve us rather than defeat us.
4. Competing with Machines Is Not the Solution
Individuals who can interact with the external world at a high level will not be easily replaced by machines in the future. Therefore, if you excel in specific tasks, you may need to learn how to incorporate human experience into your work. If you're particularly skilled at dealing with people, you might need to improve your data processing abilities. What I mean is that stable jobs and the highest income will belong to those who can perfectly blend the three elements of data, people, and objects.
Everyone's career is inherently unstable unless you're part of the top tier in society. So, I predict that artificial intelligence will create greater divisions within society. In the past, segmentation was often caused by other factors, but now AI will create new lines of division. On the flip side, not all stagnant things lack value. For example, modern navigation uses various tools for precise guidance, yet some people are reviving ancient navigation methods—using canoes, relying on celestial guides, and judging ocean currents through experience. These practices retain their charm because many find them fascinating. Thus, nothing is absolute. If big data genuinely helps you predict your favorite movie plot or provides a precise match for your romantic interests, you might feel indifferent and prefer to resist data-driven decisions.
In the end, I believe that promoting the positive aspects of human nature gives you a chance to survive. If you constantly think about competing with machines, I think you'll find no way out.
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