While generative AI technology is still evolving, and the full realisation of its potential some years away, the rapid uptake of this technology is already reshaping industries, influencing public discourse, and undermining trust in established societal norms, all while individuals grapple with both the exciting benefits and significant risks for their personal and professional lives.

For Ruth Callaghan (BA ’95), Director & Chief Innovation Officer at Cannings Purple, a Humanities graduate who majored in English and Classics and Ancient History, AI has been nothing short of transformational.

“Generative AI has been a transformational technology for my role – just not in the way I had anticipated,” Ruth said. “As a writer, consultant and journalist, I was initially worried those creative skills would be replaced, but I’ve found the opposite to be true.”

Contrary to fears that AI might render creative skills obsolete, Ruth has found that it enhances creativity, allowing her to support others in using AI for strategic thinking and ideation.

“Over the past 18 months,

I’ve focused on helping others

use generative AI

to support thinking and strategy, moving

beyond the creation of generic content.”Ruth

Ruth believes the technology offers vast opportunities for sectors such as communications and media, automating routine tasks and acting as a tool for complex problem-solving. She now sees the potential of AI in serving as a sounding board, tutor, mentor, translator, second set of eyes, or a way to test new ideas at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

“The opportunities from Gen AI in our field are enormous,” Ruth said. “I see this technology offering the chance to help people advance in so many ways, whether that is taking away busy work or helping people parse and understand complex ideas.”

Despite the excitement and tantalising potential, there is no doubt this technology also brings significant challenges, particularly within the media industry. For Taco Esso (BA ’19), a Social Sciences graduate with a major in Communication and Media Studies and volunteer newsreader for Radio 1RPH, these concerns are deeply personal.

“As a radio producer and newsreader, there are copies of my voice online, available and accessible to anyone in Australia. This terrifies me,” Taco said. “What’s to stop someone from using AI to replicate my voice?”

Her apprehension about the unchecked power of AI is well-founded, particularly with the increasing prevalence of deepfakes – manipulated audio and video that convincingly imitate real individuals.

"There's been many instances of celebrities' voices being used to say things they've never said," she said, acknowledging this is not a new phenomenon. "On a traffic phone app, you can choose which celebrity announces upcoming road closures and your next turn... On your home speakers, you can choose which accent Alexa might use. It's terrifyingly efficient."

Taco said media companies must maintain credibility. Privacy, credibility and ethical considerations remained critical with the use of this powerful tool, and the challenges were more than technical glitches, she said.

“In the future, when things are improved and there are no longer glitches or red flags in AI creations, that’s when the real test for humanity will begin” she said. “Knowing your news sources and being able to fact-check for yourself will never be more important. But to build up those skills, we need to start now.”

She shared recent data from the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which revealed that people generally felt uncomfortable when media companies used AI technology to produce content, even with human oversight. However, the study also indicates that there is less discomfort when AI technology is utilised to assist journalists with tasks such as transcribing interviews.

“There’s an opportunity for news to use AI to keep up with the fast-paced 24-hour news cycle,” Taco said. “But it means journalists need to ensure that accuracy and truth aren’t overlooked, even if that means holding the story until information can be certified.”

As AI continues to evolve, the balance between innovation and integrity will be crucial. For many industries, this technology offers a range of opportunities to streamline workloads significantly.

“You don’t need to cede the jobs you love to Gen AI,” Ruth said. “Just give it the jobs you hate.”