Ghana media consultant urges AI use with verification safeguards

Media consultant Percy Amoh Yankey has urged journalists to use artificial intelligence to make routine work faster while retaining responsibility for verification, fairness, consent and the protection of confidential information. Speaking at a Ghana National Gas Company media engagement in Accra on Saturday, Yankey said AI could help with transcribing long interviews, translation, research, adapting content, preparing interview questions and organising material for news production. According to 3News, he said the value of such tools partly depended on users giving them clear instructions and sufficient context. The technology should remain “a support tool rather than a replacement for professional judgment,” Yankey said. Journalists must still check facts and sources, ensure accuracy and fairness, and assess AI-assisted material before publication. He said technological advances should complement the principles of responsible journalism rather than weaken them. Yankey paired that warning with a wider call for emotional intelligence in a profession that regularly brings journalists into contact with people holding different backgrounds, views and personalities. He urged practitioners to recognise and regulate their emotional triggers, particularly in contentious interviews and panel discussions, and to pause and assess situations rather than react in anger or frustration. He described calmness and restraint under pressure as signs of emotional maturity, distinguishing immediate, emotion-driven reactions from considered responses based on judgment. Social awareness, he said, required understanding others’ perspectives, avoiding hasty judgments and treating people with patience and respect without abandoning professional standards. Trust and reputation were central to the advice. Yankey said credibility was difficult to restore once damaged, while public confidence in journalism rested on the accuracy, integrity and fairness of reporters’ work. Professional relationships grounded in familiarity, mutual respect and trust could also create career opportunities, he said. The event at the Alisa Hotel brought together selected media personalities from the Western and Greater Accra regions. Organised through Ghana Gas’s Corporate Affairs and Community Relations Office, it was intended to deepen journalists’ understanding of the company’s operations, including health and safety, environmental sustainability and community-focused work. Yankey also encouraged continuous learning, saying expertise comes from study, practical experience, research and deliberate improvement. Technology can broaden access to information, he said, but cannot substitute for the personal work of building knowledge, professional judgment and adaptable skills.