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Why Tanzanian media is reluctant to embrace AI
New study says Tanzanian media is sitting on the fence in the face of a lack of AI awareness and literacy, questions about its potential impact on job security, and ethical implications.
As elsewhere in Africa and the world, artificial intelligence (AI) poses a major challenge to Tanzania’s media professionals, who are still weighing up the pros and cons.
And a new study, backed by the UN cultural organisation (Unesco), paints a picture of an industry that is still very much on the fence in the face of a lack of AI awareness and literacy, questions about its potential impact on job security, and ethical implications.
There is a consensus that AI and related technologies are already part of their operations. Yet, much of the debate in Tanzanian newsrooms revolves around its capacity to scale up rates of misinformation, disinformation and outright fake news.
“The power of AI is mental. It’s making fake stuff look real and real stuff look fake, turning lies into the truth and the truth into lies,” says William Shao, a seasoned Tanzanian journalist.
“The more AI steps up, the more we need to wise up and be careful, otherwise instead of sorting us out, it’ll end up doing us in,” he adds.
The study, which was launched in Dar es Salaam on February 27, highlights the extent to which the evolving AI will impact Tanzania’s media space, although it is still a highly confusing subject for practitioners in general.
The final report, The State of Artificial Intelligence for Media Development in Tanzania, was prepared by local firm Tech & Media Convergency (TMC) in collaboration with Unesco’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC).
Most of the 350 journalists, editors and support staff interviewed from traditional and digital media platforms spoke of the need for more AI training and proper policy guidelines for the responsible use of AI in newsrooms.
The study found that up to 95 percent of the respondents were keen to learn more about AI as a journalism tool, but lacked access to structured training programmes.
Less than a quarter (22 percent) of newsroom managers had formally raised the issue of introducing AI policies to their staff.
Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of respondents recognised AI as a real game-changer in local journalism practices, but 40 percent were more worried about its potential to misinform and disinform, especially by spreading damaging political propaganda.
Eight in every ten (84 percent) of those interviewed said AI skills should be a priority in the curriculum of local journalism schools and colleges.
Newsroom efficiency
The report makes a strong case for AI as a tool for improving newsroom efficiency, rather than replacing human intelligence, and recommends that media houses and companies “proactively” integrate AI tools while addressing their concerns about misinformation and bias.
For example, it highlights how AI has already proven useful in automating routine content preparation tasks and improving research and fact-checking within vast data streams.
At the same time, the study recommends that media companies take extra care to ensure that AI does not negatively impact on the originality of content creation, job security and audience trust in what they produce.
While acknowledging the growing demand for AI and digital journalism training among Tanzanian journalists, the report points out that the lack of structured training programmes tailored to local journalistic needs is proving to be a major problem.
“Most of the existing digital courses are Western-centric and fail to address challenges unique to Tanzania, such as access to local datasets, Swahili-language AI tools, and AI-driven fact-checking specific to regional misinformation trends. This creates a disconnect between global AI advancements and their practical applicability in Tanzanian journalism,” it says.
Slow mindset shift
Furthermore, the study asserts that - beyond issues such as cost, skills and access to AI tools - the slow adoption of AI in Tanzanian newsrooms is also due to a “deeper challenge that exists in the mindset shift required for AI adoption.”
“Tanzanian journalists tend to view AI as a competitor rather than a tool, leading to hesitation in integrating it into their workflow,” it says. “While free courses and access to AI tools are major incentives, trust in AI systems and clarity on its role in journalism remain key concerns.”
It underscores how AI-generated content such as deep fakes, synthetic media and automated news articles can be “exploited for political propaganda, clickbait, or agenda-driven narratives,” while generative AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini can “unintentionally produce misleading or biased content, reinforcing echo chambers and misinformation cycles.”
“There are also fears that AI-driven automation could replace traditional journalistic roles, particularly in content generation, editing and research. Lack of transparency in AI systems is an additional concern, indicating distrust in their contribution to editorial decision-making processes and potential biases embedded in AI-generated content.”
The report comes two years after a government committee tasked with assessing the financial status of media houses and economic welfare of individual journalists recommended that AI integration guidelines be prepared for the sector in tandem with a regulatory framework.
However, no government-led action has yet been taken to put the proposal into practice, leaving the ball in the court of media professionals themselves.
