PUTRAJAYA, Feb 20 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today dismissed assertions suggesting that the rise of artificial intelligence l (AI) would render the roles of journalists obsolete, emphasising the irreplaceable human element in journalism.

He countered the notion by highlighting the inherent limitations of AI in engaging directly with people and conducting on-site interviews.

"I don’t think so with the advent of AI the jobs of journalists will become redundant because AI cannot go down to the ground to speak to people and to interview them on-site. There are still those restrictions,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysian Code of Ethics for Journalists here.

While acknowledging AI’s commendable capabilities in certain aspects, Fahmi underscored the indispensable role of human journalists in mitigating the inherent gaps and shortcomings in AI-generated content.

"At the same time, while we acknowledge that AI has some good capabilities, in terms of assessment, if we compare AI versus a human preparing a report, AI can get about 60 per cent right. Still, there will be a lot of loopholes, and shortcomings which can only be filled by humans,” Fahmi explained.

His remarks came amid the ongoing discussions surrounding the integration of AI and technology in various sectors, including journalism.

While AI has demonstrated efficiency in data analysis and content generation, Fahmi stressed the unique value proposition that human journalists bring to the table, particularly in terms of investigative reporting, empathy, and nuanced storytelling.