9mobile and Microsoft put the event together to enlighten journalists on essential skills and knowledge to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven media industry.

Orimolade Oluwamuyemi, the senior business programme manager, Marketing Communications, Microsoft Africa Development Center, noted the importance of adopting innovation and leveraging technology to enhance journalistic practices. He said, “The Microsoft Garage provides the tools and resources needed for individuals to excel in their fields”, hence, the training program.

This event was an opportunity for journalists to learn new avenues for storytelling and engage with cutting-edge technologies.

Soromfe Uzomah, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing the media industry. He emphasized the ability of AI tools to simplify content creation processes, “AI is changing the way journalists work, enabling them to produce high-quality content more efficiently than ever before.” 

Insights into the practical applications of AI in journalism were explained, including natural language processing, image recognition, and speech-to-text conversion. The importance of data-driven storytelling and the role of AI in uncovering meaningful information from large datasets was also dissected.

Oluwamuyemi emphasized the need for journalists to embrace AI as a tool for innovation rather than a threat to traditional media practices. “AI can enable journalists to uncover new stories and engage with audiences in innovative ways, helping them stay ahead and adapt.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to change the world, and according to Oluwamuyemi, it’s not a matter of if, but how we integrate it into our lives. 

Stressing the importance of using AI responsibly and ethically, Oluwamuyemi acknowledged the power of AI, highlighting its potential for both good and bad. He warned against neglecting AI, comparing it to the shift from typewriters to desktop computers. Those who fail to adapt, he argues, will be left behind.

However, Oluwamuyemi noted the dangers of deepfakes, fabricated videos that can be used to spread misinformation, as a prime example of irresponsible AI.

So, how can we ensure AI is used for good? Spotlight is placed on journalists, who are believed to have a key role to play in advocating for responsible AI.

But journalists aren’t the only ones who need to be responsible. Oluwamuyemi calls for content creators in general to prioritize ethical practices.

AI, particularly generative AI that produces entirely new information, can be a powerful tool for journalists. They must leverage AI’s capabilities while remaining aware of its limitations.

Essentially, Oluwamuyemi emphasized AI as an enabler. He argues that AI can enhance our abilities, not replace them. For journalists, this means using AI to improve storytelling, build brands, and protect reputations.

Ultimately, AI is a powerful tool, but like any tool, it can be misused. So, responsible development and use must be prioritized, ensuring AI benefits everyone.

Wanja Gitonga Discusses Microsoft Copilot for Communications Professionals

Wanja Gitonga, Communications and PR Lead for Africa at Microsoft, presented a session on Microsoft Copilot, an AI tool designed to assist communication professionals. 

What is Copilot? Wanja described Copilot as an AI companion, not an autopilot. It aims to assist communication professionals with various tasks to improve their efficiency and productivity.

Benefits of Copilot:

• Saves time on repetitive tasks across applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Generates summaries of documents and emails.
• Creates social media posts based on prompts and content.
• Analyzes data to identify trends and insights.
• Transforms documents into presentations (e.g., turning a Word doc into a PowerPoint).

Using Copilot Effectively:

To get the most out of Microsoft Copilot, it’s important to develop your “prompting” skills.  Think of prompts as instructions you give Copilot to complete a specific task. 

The clearer and more specific your prompts are, the better Copilot will understand your needs and deliver the desired output.

Aside providing clear and specific prompts with context, you also need to leverage different prompts for various functionalities (e.g., summarizing documents, creating presentations) and review prompts before using Copilot to ensure desired output.

Wanja assured that Copilot is not meant to replace human communication professionals. Rather, it empowers them to be more strategic by taking care of mundane tasks.

Communication professionals can leverage Copilot to focus on creative storytelling, relationship building, and strategic communication.

Wanja Gitonga assured communication professionals that Microsoft Copilot isn’t here to take their jobs. Instead, it functions as an empowering assistant, handling the repetitive tasks that often eat away at valuable time. 

This newfound efficiency allows communication professionals to shift their focus towards the more strategic aspects of their work. They can leverage Copilot’s capabilities to free themselves up for creative storytelling, building strong relationships, and creating impactful communication plans.

The future of communication will be heavily influenced by the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Microsoft Copilot. However, alongside the undeniable benefits, there’s a need for responsible AI development and use. Here’s why:

• Ethical Considerations: AI-generated content can raise ethical concerns, particularly around plagiarism and the potential for bias.
• Human-Centric Approach: Communication at its core is a human endeavor. AI tools should complement and empower human communication professionals, not replace them.
• Transparency and Trust: Building trust with audiences is important for any communicator. Transparency about the use of AI tools is essential.

The one-day workshop, which was held virtually, had participants drawn from both traditional and new media platforms.

It featured insightful presentations on various topics by subject matter specialists with the aim of building the capacity of journalists and enhancing their ability to execute their duties effectively while also better positioning themselves to take advantage of future opportunities.

The annual workshop, which is now in its ninth year, with over 500 journalists benefiting from the training over the years, is a major component of PwC Nigeria’s Corporate Responsibility strategy.

It was instituted in recognition of the very important role of the media in society and, in particular, the role that the media in Nigeria has and continues to play in informing and educating the public. 

“Our support for the media through this workshop and the media excellence award is in line with our purpose, which is to build trust in society and solve important problems.”

It is a demonstration of our strong belief that to deepen democracy and ensure good governance, the media must perform its role optimally and professionally and this is reflected in the quality of reporting, the capacity of individual journalists to carry out research and investigations, in the independence of editorial judgments, and in their ability to use technology as an enabler.” Said Taiwo Oyedele, Fiscal Policy Partner & Africa Tax Leader, PwC in his opening remarks at the session. 

The presentations at the workshop included a session on “National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy: Implications for the Media” facilitated by Nkiru Aimienoho, Associate Director, Cybersecurity, Privacy & Resilience, PwC Nigeria. This session provided a brief history of the national cyber strategies and policies and then delved into details of the National Cyber Security Policy & Strategy for Nigeria, highlighting the implications for the media. The session also highlighted the risk of cyber attacks in media and entertainment and used a number of real-life incidences to draw out key lessons. 

Andrew S. Nevin (Ph.D.), Partner & Chief Economist at PwC Nigeria, facilitated a session on  “Nigeria’s National Development Plan 2021–2025: Lessons from the past and insights for the future”.

The session provided a general overview of the current state of the Nigerian economy and reviewed past national development plans before going into a detailed analysis of Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021-2025).

It also used a case study of Vietnam to discuss some of the challenges and solutions to development planning in Nigeria. 

The final session was on “Reporting Politics and the Economy: Critical questions and expectations for Nigeria’s next political leaders” and was facilitated by Taiwo Oyedele, Fiscal Policy Partner & Africa Tax Leader, PwC. 

This session, which is very relevant for the time as campaigns commence for the 2023 general election, took the participants through the most critical issues for the country, which should guide journalists in their coverage of the campaign, analysis of the candidates’ manifestos, and reporting of the news during the election season. 

The capacity enhancement workshop precedes the award galenite for the announcement of winners of this year’s PwC Media Excellence Awards, which is scheduled to be held virtually on Thursday, October 6, 2022.