Event details
Michael DiVito
On October 24, Columbia World Projects (CWP) brought together an international group of media, economic, and legal experts to discuss global efforts to support quality journalism, the need to protect free expression and diverse cultures, and the critical role of platform payments in sustaining reliable information.
Organized in partnership with the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs and McGill’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, “Journalism and Democracy in and AI World” attracted a crowd of over 300, who came to the Forum to hear about the interplay between journalism, democracy, and the profound ways in which both are being shaped by advancements in generative AI.
The panel featured Katrín Jakobsdóttir, former Prime Minister of Iceland; Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; Lee Bollinger, president emeritus and noted First Amendment scholar; Joseph Stiglitz, economist and Nobel laureate; and Churchill Otieno, President of The Africa Editors Forum. Anya Schiffrin, SIPA’s Director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization, moderated the discussion, following opening remarks from Wafaa El-Sadr, Executive Vice President, Columbia Global.
Watch the discussion:
Sponsored by Bollinger Convenings, the discussion kicked off a “Saving Journalism” conference which took place the following day. The conference gathered media researchers, funders, and industry experts to uncover innovative solutions to sustain the vital work that journalists do.
CWP will be organizing similar events over the coming months about the place of technology governance in supporting democratic practice. Our next panel will take place on November 25, and feature the former Digital Minister of Taiwan, Audrey Tang, in conversation with Eli Pariser, founder of New_Public, and Camille François, associate professor of practice at SIPA. Learn more and register for the event.